Darker Than Twilight
by FlikFreak
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Sora's latest adventure takes him to the twilight-covered land of Hyrule, now infested by heartless. The keyhole could be anywhere, and even with help from the Hero of Light, Sora's newest adversary is unlike any he's ever fought.
1. Return To Darkness

Hi, people. Double-F here, author of _Duel Disks and Keyblades_, _Amity Invasion_ and _Playing for Keeps_. I was interested in how a Kingdom Hearts Crossover with Zelda: Twilight Princess would go…and this is what I came up with in my head. There will be spoilers for Kingdom Hearts (1, 2 and CoM) and Twilight Princess. I was going to wait to post this...but I couldn't. XD Got too excited and whatnot.

For those of you that have read my other work: okay, remember that blind poll I put up on my user page? The one asking what crossover you'd like to see out of me next? Well, _Twilight Princess_ won by a landslide, with _Final Fantasy IX_ in second, and _Ookami_ in third. So, because of majority vote, here's your fic. For those of you that voted for Twilight Princess, I'm restarting the poll, so go vote again! :D Or something.

Anywho, on with the fic.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter One: Return to Darkness**

* * *

After Midna had left the Realm of Light and destroyed the Mirror of Twilight, Link had thought that his worries concerning the Twilight that Zant had summoned were over. He had placed the Master Sword back in its rightful place in the Sacred Grove and headed off to explore Hyrule on his own once more. He still possessed the Triforce of Courage – hard to miss when you've had the mark on your left hand all your life – but he didn't think much of it. After all, he had it since long before the troubles with the Twilight, so perhaps it remaining wasn't a sign.

At least, that's what he figured.

Link had been returning to his hometown of Ordon from Hyrule Castle Town when a familiar sensation prickled down his spine. He sent a stray glance toward the road to Kakariko – a place where he had several very fond memories. He saw nothing, but deep down he knew that just because he couldn't _see_ a problem didn't mean something wasn't wrong. That mindset came to him partially due to the fact that in the Twilight Realm (as well as the Realm of Light in some places), some things were invisible to the naked eye and could only be seen with his wolf-honed senses; though there were times that even as a wolf he couldn't spot something.

Epona grunted and pawed the ground impatiently. Clicking softly, Link urged her toward the Kakariko road and kept one hand close to his bow. The horse didn't seem keen on moving at first, but eventually she snorted and started forward. With each step, the foreboding feeling grew stronger, confirming Link's suspicions. He cast a stray glance in the sky and saw a familiar but unwelcome sight: a red Twilight Portal.

_Not good._

Link pressed Epona forward, and the horse sensed her master's urgency and bounded into a gallop down the road. The former hero whipped out his bow, holding it in one hand while gripping the saddle in the other. He didn't need to use the reins; Epona knew where to go. As Kakariko Village came into view, Link immediately made for the spirit spring and leapt off of Epona, allowing her to take off down the village's main road. His attention was caught by the nearby crowd black monsters that were attacking a large, eagle-like apparition. He recognized the eagle as the spirit Eldin and instinctively fired an arrow each at the monsters.

Three of the struck beasts turned on him, and it didn't take long for Link to realize that these _weren't_ the Twilight Monsters that he had previously recognized. These were far different: humanoid like the Twili, but smaller, although still distorted. A pair of antennae protruded straight backward from their heads, and their eye glowed an ominous yellow hue. Instinctively drawing his sword, Link crept forward, unsure of his new opponent. When they lunged at him, he did as well, crying out and slicing them left and right, but for each one he killed, three more appeared. A screech of pain caused him to spin around just in time to see the spirit Eldin fall, fading from the spring with a final burst of light. The monsters shied away, but Link remained, knowing what would come next. He ran, even as the entire world around him darkened.

* * *

Sora rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Cid. Every world is a different challenge. They're _all_ hard. Do I really need to remind you what I went through when you sent me to Ivalice?"

"Don't get started on that story again," The engineer grumbled over the communications speaker in the _Excalibur_. "It's even worse than when you got stuck in Shibuya."

"We are _not_ getting back into that story, Cid!" Yuffie's voice resounded. "You hear me? You bring that up one more time and I will _personally_-"

Cid groaned. "I get it, I get it. Anyway, the place you're coming up on is called Hyrule. This world is kind of a tricky one, Sora; we haven't been able to figure out its quirks. All we know is that there's a serious heartless problem going on.

Sora glanced up at the world he was approaching and immediately saw Cid's point. There was a sizable black splotch on one part of it, and he winced. "Go in, find the keyhole, and get out, right?"

"And don't get killed," Cid added.

The keyblade master nodded. "And don't get killed. Right. This place sure looks bigger than the other worlds I've visited, though…a lot bigger. The keyhole could be anywhere."

"You said the same thing about Ivalice," Aerith pointed out. "But you should keep in mind that sometimes the keyhole isn't always in a specific location. Remember Shibuya?"

"Aerith! I thought we weren't going to bring that up!"

Sora ignored the ninja's complaints. "Good point. I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled until I find it. Where's a good place to land?"

"None of the normal landing spots are good right now," Cid said, his fingers typing at a keyboard. "I've got an emergency landing for you set up. You'll drop off in a field near a Castle. Luckily people don't travel the roads that often, so you won't be seen unless you're not very lucky."

"Got it," Sora replied. "I'm going in. I'll keep my communicator on me."

Flipping off the connection, Sora exited the Gummi Ship via the portal in the back. He closed his eyes tightly as the light engulfed him and the wind swirled around his face, only daring to look around again once the gust had stopped. Sure enough, he was standing in a field just as Cid said he would be. It was actually rather nice-looking overall, which only pushed Sora harder to find the keyhole and make sure the heartless didn't take over the place. Sighing nostalgically, he pressed a small button on the communicator he had wedged on his ear. "I made it onto the surface in one piece, Cid. Looks like there's no heartless in my area."

"Good to hear," came the response. "I'm detecting some heartless activity pretty close to you, though. Take a look around."

Sora nodded and flipped the device off before looking around. Behind him was something he didn't recognize: a large, black wall. Sora inwardly wondered how he had missed it before and cautiously stepped forward.

Nothing happened.

_Stop being so paranoid,_ He told himself. _It's just a giant black wall. Not like it's going to come alive and try to smash me._

Sora cautiously approached the wall, summoning the keyblade in his hand in case anything decided to ambush him. The closer he got, the darker the world seemed to get until everything around him was pitch black but the door in front of him. It was outlined in a dull orange, and decorated with odd linear designs. Narrowing his eyes, Sora took a closer look. "Cid," he began, flipping the communicator on again, "Were you referring to a giant black wall, by any chance?"

"Not really," Cid replied. "Why?"

"Because that's what I found," Sora said, tilting his head. "Any idea what it could be?"

Cid sighed. "Considering the fact that I can't see it, no. I'd get away from it as soon as you can, Sora. I don't like the sound of it, and your signal's getting a bit fuzzy."

The keyblade master opened his mouth to respond when the wall rippled a bit. He changed his response and watched closely. "It just moved a bit, Cid."

"How?"

Sora began to reply when a large black hand exploded from the wall and grabbed him by the neck, dragging him in and _through_ the dark wall. The world around him was suddenly darker than before, and the silence was overwhelmingly loud. From what Sora could make out, he was still in the same place (aside from being on the other side of the wall), but something was different. The dark energy that had transformed the land he was now in radiated off of virtually everything around him. His senses somehow heightened – almost to a painful degree – and he pulled frantically at the hand that choked him.

His attacker was a large, humanoid monster. Sora would have labeled it a heartless, but somehow he knew it wasn't. This creature, whatever it was, was sentient. It dragged him upward to what apparently was eye-level and stared at him intently. Sora felt the gaze rather than saw it, and his own blue eyes widened in fear, struggling against the grip around his neck. "Let go of me!"

"Sora, you okay?"

The monster roared and threw Sora to the ground, bounding off in the direction of a large stone bridge. Gasping to refill his lungs with sweet, sweet oxygen, Sora remained on his hands and knees until he regained his composure. "Cid, what's going on?"

"We're losing your signal. What's going on?"

"Not sure," Sora replied, standing. "I don't know if I'm still in Hyrule."

"You are, we're just not sure where. Get back to that field so we can sort things out."

Complying, Sora spun around and made straight for the black wall, only to feel his entire body become wracked in pain. He felt as though something was pressing in on him from all sides, crushing him. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath, but failed to take in any air. In his stumble to the ground, the communicator fell from his hear and landed on the ground.

"Sora! Sora, come in! Do you read?!"

But though Sora heard Cid's frantic voice, he was unable to reply straightforward. "Can't…breathe…!" he wheezed. The crushing sensation only got worse as it shifted into an invisible weight dragging him to the ground, and then to something burning him alive. Sora desperately attempted to right himself and get back on his two legs, but for some reason he simply couldn't stand. As he reached his breaking point, he let loose an inhuman scream and collapsed to the ground, passing out from the pain.

The last thing he saw was a pair of blood-red eyes staring at him…

* * *

So...how's that for a first chapter?


	2. The Missing Link

Yes. I am aware that chapter two has a bad pun as a title.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Two: The Missing Link**

* * *

Ilia rolled her eyes. Once again, Fado had failed to keep the goats inside the pasture, and with Link off running errands in Castle Town, getting them back would be a chore. Luckily, Colin had taken it upon himself to follow in Link's footsteps and help round the goats up every once in a while. Ever since Link had taught him how to ride Epona, Colin was also far more cheerful than he had been before Link had been gone running errands for quite possibly everyone in Hyrule. At least, that's what Link had told everyone.

Link was the local hero in both Ordon and Kakariko, having saved Colin and restored Ilia's memory when she had lost it, not to mention the rescue of the ill Zora Prince. The said boy still visited Kakariko every now and then, but had yet to visit Ordon. It wasn't entirely his fault, though; he was technically the king of the Zora tribe now, and quite busy.

_At least I have Colin to keep me company,_ she mused.

At the thought, the sound of hoofbeats caught Ilia's ears and she saw Colin approaching from the farm, riding one of the goats. Chuckling, she made her way down the front steps of her house as Colin pulled the goat to a stop right in front of her. "Helping Fado with the morning chores again, Colin?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I got done early, so Fado let me play with the goats a little. I figured out how to ride 'em so when Link is gone with Epona to Castle Town or wherever, I can still practice."

Ilia chuckled. "You always were pretty inventive, Colin."

"Now that I think about it," the boy continued, "He said he'd be back in five days, and it's been more than a week. You think he's okay?"

Ilia was about to reply when a familiar whinny reached her ears. Perking up as she recognized the sound, she turned to the entrance of the village. "Maybe that's him on Epona now."

Sure enough, Epona entered through the little passageway that led to Link's house. The moment she came into view, however, Ilia knew something was wrong. Epona's ears were laid flat against her neck as she charged into view, and her eyes were wide in fear. There were several cuts and scrapes on her legs and belly as well, which wasn't helped by the sweat beading on her coat. The most important thing she noticed, however, was what was missing.

Acting purely on instinct, Ilia threw herself in the middle of the path, and Epona skidded to a stop, kicking up a rather large amount of dirt in the process. Once he had cleared the dust from in front of his face, Colin stared wide-eyed at the empty saddle on Epona's back. "Where's Link?"

* * *

It felt like several millennia had passed by while Sora was blacked out. When he finally managed to drag his eyelids open, he found himself still in whatever dark world he had been dragged into by that monster, and now he was stuck in a dungeon cell with a chain binding his paw.

…_paw? Wait a sec, what's going on?_

Sora shook himself off, standing warily up and examining himself. Four paws, tufted tail, ragged brown mane, dark brown fur…it was all too familiar. _Usually I only appear like this in the Pride Lands,_ he thought. _Is it _really _necessary to be a lion here? And why am I locked up?_

Deciding to answer these questions later, Sora glanced at his surroundings. An eerie chill swept down his spine, and his ears drooped in anxiety. _I need to get out of here. But first, this chain needs to be taken care of._ He tugged on it experimentally. _Yep, it's metal. I'm not exactly in the position to slice through it with the keyblade, but if there's a lock on this thing I could unlock it._ Sitting down, Sora managed to shift his cuff around until he noticed a tiny little hole in the end. _There we go. Now if I could just find a way to get this right…_

Fifteen minutes, three failed attempts and a sore tail later, a satisfying _click_ resounded on the stone walls and Sora flexed his ankle gratefully. Dismissing the keyblade, he looked around for an exit. _There's no way I can move the keyblade to unlock my own cell,_ he mused. _I could break out, but someone would hear me…_

"Looking for a way out?"

Startled, Sora leapt back a few feet and crouched low, prepared to fight whatever nemesis was ready for him. "Who's there?" he cried.

"A friend," the voice replied, "Or an enemy. Depends on who _you_ are, really."

"Show yourself!" Sora demanded, still not convinced.

The source of the voice strode quietly into view: a noble-looking wolf covered in varying shades of gray fur. On his forehead was an interesting and unfamiliar symbol, and his eyes were surprisingly blue…and human. On his front paw was a cuff, attached to which was a remainder of a chain. He had obviously broken out of his own cell rather than unlocking himself. The wolf nodded politely. "Nice to meet you, though it's not every day you see a _lion _in Hyrule."

"Cats and dogs don't always get along," Sora retorted. "How can I trust you?"

"I'll show you how to get out. Besides," the wolf lifted his formerly cuffed paw, "Do I really look like I'd be a guard here?"

_He's got a good point,_ Sora observed. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. How do I get out?"

"This place is pretty old and disused," the wolf explained. "You should be able to find a place to dig somewhere. Just stiff around a bit."

Looking around carefully, Sora pondered the wolf's words. _I've never actually used my sense of smell that much as a lion,_ he thought, closing his eyes. _I guess there's a first time for everything._ He sniffed the air experimentally and found millions of things flooding his nose: mold, mildew, water, stale air, stone, fur, something he couldn't quite identify, straw, food, faint scents of unfamiliar people, the wolf, and dirt. He blindly made for where the dirt smell was coming from and found a box in the way. Glaring at it, he shoved it aside and found, indeed, a large dirt spot right in the corner where the bars of the cell had eroded away. The wolf looked like he could squeeze through it, but there was more than enough room for Sora to fit. Shoving some of the dirt aside (it was somewhat difficult to dig with feline paws rather than canine ones), Sora made his way out of the cell, careful not to let his necklace get caught, and shook the dirt off his fur. "Whew…feels good to be out of there."

"That was just your cell," the wolf reminded him. "The only way out of this castle is the sewers."

"Gross," Sora grumbled. "You seem to know a lot about this place."

"I had to break out of here once," the wolf said, striding calmly down the hallway, "And I broke in once, too. It's no picnic, trust me. I was trapped in that same cell they tossed you into. I don't know how you got your cuff off, but I would still be rotting there if I didn't get help from a friend of mine."

_He doesn't mince words, does he…?_ "So, how exactly do we get into the sewers? Not that I actually want to, but I really need to get out of this place."

In response, the wolf jumped up and grabbed a hoop from the ceiling. He bit it with his mouth and hung on it, using his weight to pull it down. When he did, a hatch opened in the corner of the cell. Releasing his grip, he dropped down. "We go through there. You go first; I'll follow."

Swallowing nervously, Sora strode to the hatch and glanced down. He stepped in, expecting to have to walk down, but quickly lost grip and slid. He yelped, tumbling head-over-paws into a stop to the back wall. His head pulsed a bit with pain and he pushed himself upright, shaking off. The jingling of his necklace echoed loudly off the stone walls, and moments later the wolf slid down the hatch and landed in front of him. "You sure you know how to operate four legs at once?" he asked calmly.

"Not as well as you do, apparently," Sora grumbled, remembering the time he had tried to flee the hyenas in the Pride Lands, only to trip over his own paws. He had been fortunate that Scar got angry when he did, otherwise he would have been hyena chow. He climbed to his feet and shook off the dirt. "Now where do we go?"

The wolf nodded down the passageway. "There's a small drain up ahead that we can fit through," he said. "I bet you can get through with no problem, but I have to squeeze in a bit. The only catch is there's a lovely row of spikes in front of it, and it's a pretty long and dangerous jump.

"I laugh in the face of danger," Sora teased. "I bet I could jump over them."

"Then follow me," the wolf said, jumping off of the ledge into the nearly empty water canal.

Sora stared at the ground and winced, the scent of algae, mold and other unlikable scents filling his nostrils, but he leapt down anyway. _Geez, even Monstro was more tolerable than this place._ Lifting his paw and grimacing, he kept up the pace and stayed close to the wolf, knowing that it'd be better to be potentially led into a trap rather than get lost in a place as disgusting as a medieval sewer. "As long as I'm following you," Sora began, hoping to get his mind off of his disgust, "Could I at least get your name? Unless you just want me to call you 'wolf' or something."

"Everyone calls me Link," the wolf replied. "I guess you can too, if you want."

"Nice to meet you then, Link," Sora replied, grinning. "I'm Sora."

The wolf smiled slightly. "Well, Sora, it's nice to meet you too, though I'd prefer it if I didn't have to meet you in the castle dungeon while it's covered in Twilight."

"Twilight?" Sora echoed, glancing around. "Is that what this darkness is?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. A long time ago, an evil king from the realm of Twilight decided to take over this world, and spread his darkness here. People became spirits and didn't know that their world had fallen to him. There was a hero that banished the Twilight, and peace was restored…I wonder how the Twilight made a comeback. Zant was supposed to be dead."

"Zant?"

"The king of the Twilight Realm," Link added quickly. "Only, he wasn't the real king. He cheated his way to the throne. Oh, here we go."

The two paused in front of what was indeed a long row of spikes. Sora stared intently; these were obviously placed to keep any clever prisoners from escaping. _Luckily they only work for _human_ prisoners,_ he noted.

"Think you can jump it?" Link asked.

Sora nodded. "Sure. Lemme back up a bit."

Nodding, Link stepped out of the way. Sora backed all the way against the wall, crouched down, and charged forward just as he had always done in the Pride Lands. The algae-covered floor made it difficult, but Sora reminded himself that that was what claws were for, and quickly gained speed. Just as he would have begun running over the spikes, he jumped into the air and over them, skidding to a stop on the other side. He turned around and grinned proudly. "How do ya like _that_?" he said.

"Not bad," Link replied. "You sure can go fast for a little cub."

"Can you get across?" Sora asked, beginning to sit down but deciding not to. "I don't know my way from here.

Link glanced around as though searching for an answer, and decided to jump on top of the nearby walk way, scampering up to the top and charging across the top. He leapt from the walkway as he reached the edge and landed just on the other side, barely avoiding damaging his paws. After letting out a sigh of relief, he glanced to the side and gestured to a hole. "You go in first," he said. "You're smaller, so you'll fit better."

Complying, Sora bounded through the hole – there wasn't _that_ much room, but he wasn't squished – and waited patiently on the other side for Link to crawl through. Once both were out of the hole, Link led Sora up a spiral staircase, leaping up a few of the larger jumps and helping Sora up a few others ("You're a lot lighter than you look, kid…"). Once at the top, Link shoved open a door and the two found themselves on top of a roof. Sora sat down on a ground that was thankfully not nearly as filthy as the sewers. "What now?" he asked.

"It's a long jump down," Link said, "But I think I know a way into town safely from up here."

Sora hesitated. "Wouldn't everyone freak out if they saw a lion and a wolf running around in town?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Link replied calmly, once more leading the way. "They've all been turned into spirits thanks to the Twilight, so they can't see us. At least, I know they can't see _me_. Not sure about you."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Sora commented, staring down the edge of the roof to the ground, which was indeed a long drop. _Cats may have nine lives, but he's right. I'm not going to risk jumping down that far._

Link sighed and shook his head, pacing down the roof toward a tower. "Not much does around here when the Twilight's making the rules. Look, the only way we can really get down safely is to go down a staircase in one of the guard towers. It's a long run down, so we should get started before anything or anyone sees us. Kargaroks aren't any friendlier here than they are normally."

Following the wolf closely, Sora cocked an eyebrow. "I don't even know what a Kargarok _is_."

"You must not be from around here if you don't know about them," Link commented. "You from some kingdom far away? Termina, maybe?"

Sora nodded. "Something like that, yeah… But tell me, what are Kargaroks?"

The answer came in the form of what could have passed for someone trying to play a badly-tuned trombone. Turning to view the source of the sound, Sora saw a large black bird with no face, frayed wings, sharp talons and a long tail rather than a set of tailfeathers. It was also nearly two feet from his face, and he leapt to the side just in time for it to swoop past him and honk angrily. Link crouched low, baring his teeth at the offending avian. "_That_ is a Kargarok."


	3. Playing The Part

In which Sora poses as a kitty to get some temporary shelter.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Three: Playing the Part  
**

* * *

Link wasn't entirely sure he could entrust the battle to a little lion cub. Sure, this Sora guy could really move around, which would probably be a great asset in combat, and the little cub could also communicate with him – which was pretty suspicious, since technically only the Twili and Princess Zelda could sense him in the Twilight Realm, but he had erased his doubts when he reminded himself that the Twili beasts had thrown him into a cell. After all, Link still stood by the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," even after most of the chaos concerning the Twilight had died down.

Friend or not, however, Link wasn't sure whether or not Sora could fight. He was clumsy enough when he fell down the sewer hatch, and even though he seemed to regain his composure quickly, the only thing he seemed good at doing so far was mysteriously finding his way out of a prison chain. _Cubs shouldn't be warriors, anyway._ "I'll take care of this thing," Link said, crouching. "Stand back. I don't want you getting hurt."

Sora seemed more than happy to comply, and backed away a few steps. Satisfied, Link watched the Kargarok closely, waiting for it to lunge forward. When it did, he leapt onto it and dug his claws into its tough, scaly skin, biting repeatedly at its neck before it let out a cry and burst into tiny fragments of darkness. Link landed lightly back on the roof and sniffed. "There are probably others that want to avenge this one. Let's get out of here before they catch wind of this."

"I'm all for that," Sora commented, nosing open the wooden door on the tower and bounding in.

Link followed closely, jumping up and closing the door by pushing it with his shoulder. As they began heading down the stairs, Link spoke. "I can get you as far as outside of town," he said. "Do you have a family you belong with?"

"Not here," Sora replied after a short hesitation. He was having a rough time going down the steps, but after a few minutes he seemed to get the hang of it.

"I'll try to find some place safe for you, then," Link continued. "I don't want you getting hurt by any of those monsters _or_ by the Twili."

"Monsters?" Sora asked.

Link nodded. "Yeah. They're black with these weird yellow eyes. They're also a lot more dangerous than any of the Twili are, but they've still been attacking the Light Spirits…They've already got Eldin, and apparently they got Lanaryu too. The other two are probably safe for now, but the sooner we get out of the Twilight, the better." _Urgh, if only Midna was here, we could have just warped… Why is this happening again?_

* * *

Colin watched as Ilia finished cleaning Epona's wounds. The horse seemed to still be in good shape, and nothing was too terribly serious. The biggest injury she had sustained was fear, apparently. "She'll be fine, just a few cuts," the girl said, sponging one of the spots on her belly. "I'm more worried about Link, though. The only time Epona acts up like this is if something's happened to him."

"What was he doing in Castle Town, anyway?" Colin asked.

"He didn't say much of anything," Ilia replied, finishing her work with the horse near her. "Come to think of it, he doesn't talk much about what he does outside of town. He's been that way ever since we were kidnapped, remember?"

_He did act kind of strange when that guy in Kakariko called him a hero,_ Colin thought. _He's hiding something…maybe whatever he's hiding is getting him into trouble all the time. What if this time he doesn't come back?_

"Is something wrong, Colin? You're staring at the spring."

Snapping out of his daze, Colin looked toward Ilia, whom had removed Epona's saddle and placed it on a nearby rock. He sighed. "Yeah…I just want to know where Link is."

"None of us know," Ilia pointed out. "He'll be fine, Colin. Just you wait."

"Can't I ride Epona out to the field and go look for him?"

Ilia's expression of concern changed immediately to the stern visage of a mother. "Absolutely _not_, Colin. You know that the field is way too dangerous. There are bokoblins and Kargoroks out there, and don't get me started on that wolf that stole the sword and shield from this town. It's a wonder Link managed to catch the thing and get them back. Besides, Epona's hurt, and she needs time to recover. Absolutely _no riding_ until she's better, you hear me?"

Colin sighed. "I guess…" With that, he walked back to town, beginning to formulate a plan in his mind the moment he was out of Ilia's earshot. _Sorry, Ilia…but I'm not going to wait for Link this time._

* * *

"I never want to see another set of stairs again," Sora lamented when Link shoved open the door at the bottom of the stairwell. "I thought we'd never get out of there."

"I gave you the offer," Link reminded him, but it didn't help Sora's mood. The wolf had offered to carry him down by grabbing him on the ruff of his neck. The mental image wasn't very pleasing, and Sora was a tad too big even for that. It hadn't been very consoling that Link's teeth didn't look too welcoming any more after he had demolished the giant predatory bird than they did beforehand, so Sora eventually settled for running down the stairs the old fashioned way (or new, considering he had never had to deal with stairs in the Pride Lands).

There wasn't much to be had in the way of fresh air when the two left the tower. Sora recognized the place where they had arrived at as the field where he had been standing before he entered the dark world. He held back a grimace as a sick feeling crept up his throat; the same thing had happened to him when he saw the village in the Land of Dragons completely demolished. There was simply something about seeing the world around him change from peaceful to chaotic that just twisted his insides around.

"We need to get out of the Twilight," Link said. "Those monsters can't follow us into the light unless they make a portal, and they can't exactly do that all too often."

"Lead the way," Sora said. "I don't have a clue where I'm going."

Link chuckled and started forward. "Fortunately for you, I showed up when I did. Your best bet will be to go to Ordon Village. I've been there a few times; it's not far from here as before thanks to the shortcut I found yesterday, but it's still quite the walk."

Following, Sora tilted his head. "But wait a sec…it's a village, right? They're not going to be too happy to see me. I'm a lion, remember?"

"A lion _cub_," Link corrected him. "They'll easily mistake you for a cat. They know me, though…I'm a wolf, not a dog, and I've had to sneak in there every so often, and since it was right when some kids were kidnapped, they had their suspicions. I'm not exactly welcomed there."

"I see," Sora said, hanging his head as they made their way through a small pathway through the stone wall and into another large field. _I don't think I should tell him that once I'm out of the light I'll be a human again…friend or not, he's still a wolf, and I dunno if he'll take too kindly to that._

The two finally stopped in front of a great black wall. "Getting outside the Twilight is kind of tough," Link said, hesitating in thought. "I've never done it before without outside help. This doorway is supposed to be the way through to the Realm of Light on the other side."

Sora nodded. "Where're you going to go?"

Link sighed, looking at the ground. "I need to check on a few things, but I'll come check on you as soon as I'm done. Listen closely, Sora. I'm going to tell you how to get to the village."

"Okay. Is there a road I follow?"

"Yeah," Link said. "You'll see it as soon as you're on the other side. Once you start, keep running straight no matter what, and don't let ANY monsters get to you. If you can't get any human scents to follow, then ask the monkeys. They tend to pester a few of the locals for fun every so often, so they know the way. Once you're there, put on your cutest act and they'll take you in. Just bide your time until I get back, okay Sora?"

_This could have a catch…I'll just have to go along with it for now, though._ "Got it. Don't worry about me."

Link grinned, and turned down a nearby path. "Right. Well, take care!" With that, he ran off down a road.

With a deep sigh, Sora walked closely to the wall. He prodded it experimentally, and found nothing attacking him, and backed away a few steps. He summoned the keyblade experimentally, noting that the darkness that emanated from the world around him seemed to be expelled by it, floating away from and around it. Gripping the weapon tightly in his jaws, he started to run toward the wall. Then, picking up speed, he charged through it and closed his eyes just as he leapt. There was the sensation of running right underneath a waterfall, minus the getting wet, and Sora landed safely on the ground. As he slowly cracked his eyes open, he saw the world around him was still dark, as the wall was just behind him, but he quickly made way for the bright world ahead, dismissing the keyblade and any suspicion he might have received with it.

Sora began to push himself to his feet when he looked down and saw that his paws were still intact. He blinked. _How does _that_ work? Shouldn't I be able to turn human again? What's keeping me in lion form?_

He gave a glance behind him to the door to Twilight. _Maybe I went through that door wrong,_ he mused. _I bet Link knows the answer…but he thinks I'm actually a lion. I can't let anything out…what would he think? For now I just have to go along with this until I can figure this out on my own._ With that, he took off at a speedy run down the path, focusing only forward.

The wind whistled in his hears and his chain necklace – which he still kept in his lion form – jingled with every step. He passed by countless trees and several other objects that probably would have looked far more interesting had they not blurred by him. He came to an opening with a spring and skidded sideways, taking another tunnel around the turn without losing too much speed.

Had Sora been going any slower, he would have noticed the drastic change in scenery from a field to a slightly less open forest-like area. He skidded to a stop once more when he noticed a dead end ahead, but upon closer inspection it was only a drastically sloping bridge across a chasm. He gulped nervously. _People don't actually use this thing, do they? It looks strong and all, but…huh?_

The bridge was moving.

Sora blinked a few times before noticing that a boy was beginning to cross the bridge, causing it to shudder a bit. He squinted a little to get a closer look and saw that he couldn't have been in his teen years yet. He wore odd clothing, possibly something akin to farming clothes, and had short-cut blonde hair. He had a wooden sword in his hand and a matching shield on his back, but in spite of being even remotely battle-ready, the boy didn't seem very confident in himself. Sora tilted his head. _What's a kid doing in the forest? This place isn't nearly as safe as a village._

It was then that the boy spotted him. "A cat?" he wondered out loud.

_Cat? Feh,_ Sora thought, rolling his eyes. _I'm not a cat. I'm a _lion. _Hear me roar and all that jazz._ He sat quietly, however, pondering the situation shortly. This boy obviously came from the village; perhaps a bit of persuasion was in order to get him to lead him back there. Deciding on that for now, Sora slowly made his way forward across the bridge, keeping his tail and head low, his ears drooping. _Come on, Sora, look shy, look cute, look adorable…Donald told you Kairi would think you're cute, so this kid will think you look cute too… Come on, kid, come to the kitty and take him home… I feel so incredibly ridiculous.  
_

As expected, the boy took interest. "Are you hurt?" he asked. Sora feigned sadness and looked away for a moment, backing up a few steps. The boy knelt down in response and held a hand forward. "I can take you home if you want."

_Bingo._ Sora lifted his head and pricked up his ears. He then bounded forward and leapt into the boy's arms, grinning victoriously. The boy laughed in surprise, but stood and began to walk back to the village.

"I dunno if Mom and Dad will be happy for me to have a pet," he began. "Ever since that wolf ran around the village that one time, they've kinda been on edge."

_Link doesn't mean any harm,_ Sora thought. _At least, he doesn't seem like it to me. He actually seemed a bit worried._

"We're really lucky that Link came back and saved us," the boy continued. "He's kind of late coming back from Castle Town, and I was hoping to go find him, but you look kind of lost, so…"

Sora did a double-take. _Link?! He can't be referring to that wolf, can he? Ugh, calm down, Sora…there's probably more than one guy named Link. There's no need to overreact. But still, why do I get the feeling that-_ "MMRREEEOOOWWW!"

"Colin! Didn't I tell you to stay in the village?!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sora attempted to turn around while hanging in midair to see who had snatched him. It didn't take much effort: a blonde-haired girl grabbed him by the skin of his neck and held him in the air. _Wow. That doesn't hurt all that bad…but geez, I feel _really_ stupid now._

"Care telling me what this is?" The girl demanded.

"It's a cat," Colin, the boy, said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I found him at the bridge. He looked lost…"

The girl rolled her eyes. "You _do_ remember what happened when you decided to pet that wolf, right?" she began. "You nearly got killed by those bokoblins! What is your mother going to say when she sees that you brought home a _cat_? Besides, he obviously has an owner. See? He has a collar." She fingered the necklace that Sora still had on. In response, Sora batted one of his paws at her in hopes of keeping her from taking it off. When she gave up, he put on his best pouting face, but the girl was not amused.

Colin strode up and gently took Sora out of the girl's grasp. "We should at least get him somewhere safe," he said. "You're not helping any by scaring him, Ilia."

Ilia rolled her eyes. "Fine, just don't blame _me_ when you get in trouble. It's getting late; you should go check on Fado to see if he's had any luck with the goats."

Without another word, Colin nodded and put Sora on the ground, stiding further down the path to where a large spring was. Satisfied, Ilia went down the path past the spring. The moment the girl was out of earshot, Colin sighed. "She's nice and all," he said, "But when that sort of thing happens, she scares me."

"Tell me about it," Sora grumbled, but Colin apparently didn't understand him. The boy strode over to where a bucket was and began to fill it with water, though he was having some difficulty. Watching, Sora sat on the ground idly. "Man, how am I supposed to fight Heartless like this? I can't reveal myself or they'll come after me, but if I don't do anything then this'll only get worse. Talk about damned if you do, damned if you don't…"

"If keeping a secret would endanger someone you care about, then I'd think the choice is clear."

Sora yelped at the voice and spun around searching for it, but only saw a horse standing near the spring. _Wow. How'd I miss that before? It's at least fifteen times bigger than I am._ He paused. _Wait a minute…did that horse _talk_ to me?_

As though to answer his thoughts, the horse swished its tail impatiently. "What is your name, cub?"

"You _did_ talk!" Sora cried.

"Yes, I did," the horse replied. Sora tilted his head; he had expected a horse to have a different voice, but this one reminded him a lot of his mother: warm, calm, feminine, and yet strong and powerful. As the equine approached, she lowered her head. "It would seem you have some secrets of your own."

Sora was about to respond when he caught the scent of blood. Curious, he strode forward and got a closer look. The majestic beast before him had several scars and cuts across its legs and stomach. Though they had apparently been tended to (he could smell Ilia), it didn't help all that much. "What happened to you?"

"My master was attacked by the beasts of Twilight," the horse replied. "He did not manage to escape when the light spirit was broken, and I was only fortunate to reach the village in time with only a few wounds from the bokoblins and skeleton hounds."

"That's not exactly comforting to hear," Sora moaned, shuddering. "Do you think your master will be alright?"

"He is fine," the horse said, smiling. "You've been near him. I can tell."

Sora blinked. "Not sure I remember being around any other humans," he said. "Anyway, um…do you have a name?"

"Epona," the horse replied. "I'm a farm horse here, but I also serve as a mount for my master when he travels. And you?"

"Sora," Sora said, as though proud of his name. "Nice to meet you." He then paused. "So, um…can you tell me anything about this Twilight?"

"Yes," Epona replied. "There are four sacred springs in Hyrule, and each is guarded by a spirit of light. Not long ago, the false king of twilight entered this realm and scattered their light, causing the darkness to take over. All of the people and creatures were transformed into spirits, and fear was all that they knew. The only one whom wasn't transformed into a spirit was the Hero of Light, whom became a sacred blue-eyed beast that restored light to our world."

"Blue-eyed beast?" Sora asked. _That sounds kind of familiar…_

Epona nodded. "Yes. He was trapped in that form for some time, and only with the power of the spirits of light and the Master Sword was he able to become his human self again. Since then, he had traveled as both beast and human until finally the twilight ebbed away, and the two realms were separate again."

Sora rubbed his nose with his paw idly. _So, that hero went into the twilight and was transformed just like I was…maybe if I found one of those light spirits or that sword, I'd be able to restore myself._ "Say, do you know where I could find that sword? I mean, does the hero still have it?"

"No," Epona replied. "The sword has been once more placed in the Sacred Grove in the Faron Woods. The light spirits, however, are found in several places. It is said that the spirit Ordon lives in this one."

_Maybe I should tell Link to meet me near here…but I can't let him see me when I'm human again._ "Thanks," Sora said.

"Come on, kitty!" Colin called. "Let's go to the village."

"I've gatta get going," Sora told the horse. "I'll see you again later. If you see a wolf come by here, can you tell him I'm okay?"

Epona had a brief glint of knowing in her eye, but she grinned and nodded. "I will."

Satisfied, Sora bounded after Colin, sighing. _Wherever you are, Link, hurry. I've got a lot of questions for you…_

* * *

What kind of questions? We'll just have to wait and see.


	4. Ordona

After I post the next chapter, I'm going to swap this to the Kingdom Hearts category. At least for a while.

Wow, I'm totally on a "new story high" as one of my reviewers so put it. XD Those of you waiting for updates to _Amity Invasion_ and _Playing For Keeps_, don't worry, I AM going to update them soon. Between doing three fanfics and working on editing my novel, things are pretty busy on the writing side.

Also, if I've mentioned the Light Spirit of Ordon before, I think her name is actually Ordona. Sorry if I messed any of you up!

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Four: Ordona**

* * *

The sun had set quickly, and Colin had gone to bed early that day as per request of his mother. As Ilia had predicted, Colin's parents weren't too keen on the idea of a pet lion. Even so, they were kind individuals and they allowed Colin to play with Sora so long as it wasn't in the house or near the goats. The said playing mainly involved showing Sora around town, and he had overheard an interesting conversation from the chickens involving black dots, squirrels, and chicken feed while passing by a water mill. Later on, Colin had to go round up some goats into the barn at the nearby fields, and Sora sat right next to the gate and watched as Colin mounted one of the goats and rode it like a horse.

Once Colin's chores were done, Sora started getting hungry, and took it upon himself to catch a fish from the local pond. He actually did quite a swell job, and found it a lot more fun than using a fishing pole. He caught an extra one for Colin's family, hoping that it would be enough enticement to let him stay outside, but he was still made to stay outdoors. _These people obviously like dogs better,_ Sora grumbled.

Fifteen minutes later saw Sora sitting outside of the spring again as the stars lit up the sky. He crossed his paws and laid down, sighing. He had nearly fallen asleep when he heard footsteps. Pricking up his ears, he glanced around, eyes and ears alert. The moment he did, he shook himself out of it. _Come on, Sora. You've got a sense of smell. Use it._ He sniffed the air, finding a familiar scent, and trotted forward to see none other than Link approaching. "There you are!" Sora cried.

Link shushed him quickly and walked nearer. "Keep it down," he said quietly. "Bokoblins tend to walk around this place at night, and they know who I am."

Sora winced. "Sorry…"

"It's okay," Link reassured him. "Are you doing alright here?"

"Yeah," Sora replied. "Some boy named Colin took me in for now. His parents are nice, and they're taking care of me and all, but they won't let me in. Not that I'm really fond of the idea of being someone's _pet_…"

"Trust me, I'm not either," Link said, chuckling. "Look, I can't get you home right now because of the Twilight, so staying here is your best bet until it's gone, okay?"

"Who ever said anything about going home?" Sora asked. "I'm looking for something around here. Though, if you say so, I guess staying here is a better option for now."

Link blinked quietly. "You're _looking_ for something?"

Sora hesitated. _Now, what's a good way to put this vaguely…_ "Yeah. I'm not sure what it looks like, only what it is and what it does. I had only started looking when that monster thing threw me into the prison after it jerked me into the twilight."

"You'll find it," Link reassured, "But you might want to put your search on hold until I at least get rid of the twilight in the woods. I'm not sure if you noticed, but while you were in town, it was spread farther. Ordon is the only safe place for now, so I suggest you stay here, okay?"

_Staying here is the last thing I need to do,_ Sora grumbled inwardly, _But if those heartless are causing all the darkness, I should probably at least defend this area from them until he comes back. I don't have a choice._ He sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll stay here for now, but be sure to come back quick, okay?"

"I'll try," Link replied. "But listen, if you see any of those black monsters – especially the ones with the yellow eyes – get as far away from them as you can. They're really aggressive, and they won't hesitate to kill you."

"Oh, trust me, I know," Sora grumbled as he sat down. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

"Suit yourself," Link replied as he bounded off, out of sight once more.

Once he was sure the wolf was out of sight, Sora rolled his eyes. "You know, I really appreciate the concern," he thought aloud, standing and striding to the edge of the pool, "But I can totally handle those things. Just because I _look_ like a cub doesn't mean I'm completely helpless. Isn't there some way I can prove myself?"

As though cued by his words, several a whirring sound caught his attention, and he looked to the sky to see a black-and-red portal. There was little time to react when four large posts fell to the ground and created a large red barrier around him. Eyes widening, he backed away. "This isn't what I had in mind," he whimpered.

The situation only worsened when a large black monster fell from the sky, crashing to the ground but standing up upon impact. Sora winced; had this creature felt any pain at all on impact?

His thoughts were shattered when the monster lunged at him. Summoning the keyblade on instinct, Sora crouched into a battle stance and leapt forward, only to be batted away by the creature's enormous hand. Grunting, Sora stood and regained his footing just in time to dodge another blow by inches. _This thing us huge…but fast… This isn't going to be easy._

* * *

Link swore. He hated leaving a cub behind in the village, but regardless of the fact that the cub had not become a spirit in the Twilight Realm – which was _always_ a huge sign of something, much like his own status as the hero of light – he couldn't let him come to any danger.

_The legend speaks of a blue-eyed beast,_ Link thought, _and I _know_ the spirits were referring to me. Sora had blue eyes too though, and he could see me and talk to me in the Twilight. Divine Beast or not, Sora's something special, and I know he's not telling me._

Of course, the lion cub was the least of his worries. Link had been heading to Kakariko when he felt the Twilight grow stronger, and while Faron was still safe, he still stopped by the spring. Sitting quietly on the edge of the water, he howled once – twice – three times. The water's surface began to glow, and a great orb of light rose from within the deeper parts of the spring, around which a large monkey-like being appeared, wrapping his tail around the glowing sphere.

**Does something trouble you, O great hero? We have not spoken in long.**

_Faron doesn't waste any time getting to the point, does he?_ Link observed. "Yes, spirit. I am afraid that the Twilight has returned. However, I do not believe it is the work of the Twili this time. Strange creatures of pure darkness have been seen lumbering about. I could barely stop them, and I'm afraid I could only watch as Eldin fell to them."

**I see. I feared that this time would come.**

"There was also a cub," Link continued.

**Oh?**

"Before, only the Twili and Zelda could sense me in the Twilight," Link explained, "And I appeared in this form. However, I was going to Hyrule Castle to see if the Princess could tell me anything, and I instead helped rescue a curious young lion cub from there. He had not been transformed into a spirit as everyone else had. That's what has me worried."

**The legend only tells of one divine beast, O hero, not two.**

"I realize that," Link replied. "That's what has me curious. He managed to get out of his bindings in the cell without any aid, while I had to comply with Midna's help. There's also a strange feeling I get around him, much like when I sense the light spirits, or the tears of light."

There was a short pause as Faron looked away, staring intently at the sky. Link swallowed nervously; Lanaryu might have been the fiercest of the spirits, but it never did well to upset any of them. Thankfully, Faron was also thoughtful when he needed to be, and would consider one's words before becoming enraged.

**He takes on the appearance of a lion cub, correct?**

Link hesitated. Faron spoke in the same way as he described Link as a wolf: he might have appeared like one, but in reality he was Hylian. Deciding to ponder this later, he nodded. "Yes."

**Do you know his name?**

"Sora," Link replied. As he did, Faron seemed to regard him thoughtfully before smiling.

**Interesting. It would seem you have found the answer to your plight.**

"The answer?" Link inquired. "Sora's only a cub! He cannot fend for himself."

**I would not be so sure of that, O hero. Whether or not you know that for sure is whether you can see it for yourself firsthand. If you do not allow it to be possible, it will not be in your own mind.**

Confusing words, but Link understood them. He _had_ been quite protective of Sora. The cub probably could very well defend himself, but Link had once again jumped to conclusions and kept him well and safe from harm before asking whether or not Sora was capable of picking a fight (or ending one, if necessary). "Even so, how could he be the answer to this sudden darkness?"

**There are more legends than simply those of the Triforce or the Twili. My ears may not be as sharp as Eldin's, but I have long heard the tales of what many call the keyblade.**

"Keyblade…?"

**Yes. It is a weapon more mysterious and mighty than even the Master Sword itself. It is known as both a bringer of peace and a bringer of destruction, and some have even told of it being sentient – of it **_**choosing**_** a master.**

"But what does this keyblade have to do with the creatures and the Twilight?" Link asked. "And where can I find it?"

**The keyblade is never simply found. It is always with its master, never apart from him. As for how it will aid you, the keyblade is a weapon of light. The creatures of darkness that now plague Hyrule fear it.**

"And what of Sora, great spirit? How is he linked with this?"

**That is all I can tell you, O great hero. You must return to Ordon and find Sora. Before you do, however, I must return you to your human form.**

Link had no argument with Faron's statement. He closed his eyes as a familiar light washed over him, and the darkness ebbed away…

* * *

Sora growled angrily as he found himself cornered against the barrier, the creature lumbering in front of him. "Don't you have anything better to do?" He asked a bit dumbly, knowing the creature wouldn't respond. _I can't beat this thing…if I were a human I could probably swat this thing like a fly._

The monster attacked once more and Sora jumped upward and out of harm's way, landing on the creature's back. It howled in rage, reaching around frantically for the feline that had so unlovingly attached itself to its back. Thinking quickly, Sora reflected on how Link had fought the bird at the castle and dismissed the keyblade, biting several times at the monster's neck. Unfortunately, Sora's muzzle was too short and his teeth were too small to do any real damage, and he ended up thrown into the barrier and sliding to the ground. _Okay, that didn't work. Time for a plan B._

As he dodged a few more blows, Sora wracked his mind for all he could figure out. He was fast, agile, and had a giant key in his mouth. He had claws and fangs, but he couldn't use them all too effectively against this thing. It was huge, for one, and had to have skin at least three inches thick to barely feel him. Mind lighting up with an idea, he stood in front of a barrier and crouched down, taunting the beast and dismissing the keyblade. "Come on, blackie, you know you want a piece of this…"

The monster quickly fell for the taunt and raced at him. Grinning, Sora waited until it was inches away before jumping upward, causing the beast to slam full-force into the barrier. A foreign red energy crackled all over the beast, causing it to scream in agony. When Sora landed on its back, he summoned the keyblade once more and sent a fatal strike on the creature's head, causing it to collapse into a heap of black before shattering into numerous black fragments. As Sora dismissed his weapon and sat down to catch his breath, he noticed the remains of the beast floating upward into the sky, turning the red portal green. "And stay out," he mumbled, about ready to collapse.

It was only when Sora looked down again that he noticed he was bleeding. The creature had sent a sizable cut down his shoulder, which was causing some pretty bad pain to his front leg. He muttered a small cure spell to help close the wound, but the pain still remained. "I guess I'll just have to heal up the old fashioned way," he lamented. "Hopefully no heartless will show up…"

He was about to leave when he noticed the entire spring beginning to glow with a strange light. Sora's eyes widened, and he remembered Epona saying something about four light spirits residing in springs all over Hyrule. If this was one of them, and he just fought a monster in it…and _bled_ in it… _Oh, crud. I am in _so_ much trouble…_

But even as he made to leave, Sora found himself rooted to the spot. The light grew around the stones set in the area, and a large sphere of light rose from the waters. Around the sphere, a body formed, beginning with a set of antlers, a deer-like head, and spreading to an entire body and ending with a long tail. Overall, the luminescent creature resembled one of the goats on the Ordon farm, but this one was far more majestic, and more like a wild stag rather than livestock. At first, looking upon it was intimidating, as it was even larger than Epona was, but somehow Sora felt a sense of calm wash over him as the creature watched with calm, wisdom-filled eyes.

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

**I am Ordona. I am one of the four spirits of light that protects Hyrule at the behest of the goddesses. Do not be afraid, Keyblade Master.**

Sora hesitated, trying to back away but once again finding himself rooted to the spot. "You know who I am?"

**Yes. Tales of the keyblade exist even here in Hyrule, though they have almost completely faded.**

There was a strange moment of silence as Sora regarded the creature before him. He had been subject to things similar to prophecies before, but nothing had ever been quite like this. For a deity to be speaking to him was a lot different than the ruler of a country or even King Mickey himself. Was the keyblade truly this well-known?

**Keyblade Master, why have you taken this form?**

"I don't know," Sora replied, a bit taken aback by the question. "I was human before, but I woke up in a place called the Twilight, I guess."

**The darkness of the Twilight Realm can overwhelm even the most powerful of light. You must have been transformed to withstand it, much like the blue-eyed divine beast.**

"Blue-eyed beast?"

**The great hero that saved our land from the Twilight once before. He was a Hylian in his true form, but his destiny to become the great hero intertwined him with that form whenever he entered the Twilight.**

The thought of being transformed to withstand darkness was an odd one for Sora. He had been to the Realm of Darkness once, but it never occurred to him that sometimes darkness itself could overwhelm even a fabled hero. If that was true, maybe light was the same way. The thought of it made him shiver. "Do you know how I can change back?" he asked. "I can fight the heartless easier in a human body."

**Is that what you call the beasts of darkness?**

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Well, aside from the one that just attacked me."

**Those creatures are responsible for the Twilight. Eldin and Lanaryu have already fallen to them. Faron is quite possibly their next target, and then I.**

"Don't worry," Sora said. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you _or_ Faron."

**You cannot fight them alone, Keyblade Master. I do not doubt your power, but Hyrule is far more dangerous than before. It would be folly to not have aid.**

Sora could easily see how Ordona wanted to avoid an insult, but he didn't mind. There were a few times when Sora had to fight the heartless alone, and it was a lot tougher without his friends helping out. It had been more than impressive when he took on a thousand heartless on his lonesome, but he wasn't keen on doing that again. "Who should I find?" Sora asked.

**He will come to you. Faron is speaking with him currently.**

"Okay, then," Sora replied. "But, um…I don't think it's a smart idea for me to be seen while I'm a lion cub, so…how can I turn human again?"

**There are two ways to return to your original form. The Master Sword hidden in the Sacred Grove has helped the great hero in his same plight, but a Spirit of Light holds a similar power. I can return you to your human form if it pleases you.**

Sora looked at the ground for a moment. _If the hero that's supposed to help me is on his way, I should probably hurry up. I don't know where this Sacred Grove place is._ "That would be nice," he said, trying to sound as polite as possible.

**Brace yourself, Keyblade Master.**

Once again, the spring lit up to a blindingly bright light. As the spirit began to vanish, a burst of radiance from the orb that remained engulfed Sora, lifting him off the ground. The light, though he welcomed it, was almost painful, and he cried out as he felt the darkness being peeled away. He closed his eyes, and was still blinded by whatever was restoring him. After what seemed to be an eternity, the light dimmed to a manageable level and he was set gently on his feet in the spring.

Normally, Sora would have used all of his energy to sit down more appropriately. This time, however, his energy had been entirely spent, and he crumpled to the ground, the water splashing around him as he fell on his back. His vision began to blur from fatigue, and he saw a young man hurrying toward him from the entrance to the spring, crying out in shock and attempting to bring Sora to his senses. Before any response could be made, Sora's vision faded completely, and his ears went deaf.

* * *

So, let's see...Sora fights his first Twilight Messenger. Both get a mini-history lesson of sorts. And other exciting stuff. I wonder what could happen next...?


	5. Initiative

And here's Chapter five, in which Sora is more properly introduced to Ordon Village, and we get a hint of who the villain might be. Might. Also, this chapter title makes absolutely no sense. Sorry.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Five: Initiative  
**

* * *

Link furrowed his eyebrows. According to Faron, this _boy_ was the fabled Keyblade Master. To be so young and carry such a heavy burden on his shoulders was almost unthinkable, but Link himself had carried a similar responsibility. What struck him oddly was that he recognized the boy, yet he knew he had never met him before. While he simply couldn't place his finger on it how, he immediately took interest in the necklace he wore. It looked absurdly familiar…

_Looks like he's passed out,_ he observed, checking the boy's pulse to be sure. _I'd better get him to the village and see if someone can fix him up. _He reached for a sprig of horsegrass, but left it alone and hefted the stranger unceremoniously over his shoulder and began walking back to town.

When Link arrived in town, he found it empty as usual, with no one walking around in the dead of night. Nodding in satisfaction, he headed for the one person he knew could help him. Swallowing nervously, he knocked on the door. "Rusl, are you awake?" he called.

There was a loud sound of footsteps and a man came to the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "By the light…is that really you, Link?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. I hate to barge in on you late like this, but you're the one person I can trust with this."

Rusl's eyes traveled to the unconscious boy resting on Link's shoulder and he sighed. "I haven't seen anything that surprising since that barrier showed up around Hyrule Castle. Come in, then. I'll see if I can set him up a spot somewhere."

"Thanks," Link replied, entering the house quietly as Rusl closed the door behind him. In truth, the said home was rather small, so it was surprising that there was any room at all for a visitor. Courtesy, however, was not Link's primary concern. "This might sound strange," he continued as he laid the boy down on the empty couch, "But I saw him at the Spring of Ordona just moments ago, appearing in a flash of light. He looked like he had been through pain moments before, but by the time I had reached him, he was out cold."

"I don't see anything wrong with him," Rusl said, examining the boy closely. "He doesn't look like he's from Hyrule, at any rate."

"How can you tell?" Link asked.

Rusl shrugged. "Well, for one you'd have to be crazy to walk around Hyrule with hair like _that_. He doesn't have Hylian ears either, so I doubt that's where he's from."

"Maybe he's from Gerudia?" Link suggested

"No," Rusl replied, shaking his head. "The Gerudo have a boy in their tribe once every century or so, and Ganondorf was their most recent, so he's not a Gerudo. My guess is that he's from Labrynna or Holodrum."

Link shrugged. "Maybe. We can't be sure unless we ask him."

Rusl nodded. "I agree, Link, but for now he needs some rest. Obviously he had a rough journey here, no matter what route he took. We will look after him if you wish."

"That's okay," Link replied, picking up the boy more carefully this time. "I'll keep him in my place."

"If you say so," Rusl said, sighing. "He doesn't seem to have any serious problems, Link, but you should still be careful. He _is_ a foreigner, after all."

"I'm pretty sure I can handle this," Link assured him, walking out the door with the strange young boy in his arms. _Looks like I'm sleeping on the floor tonight._

* * *

"Cid, you really should get some rest. I'm sure Sora's okay."

The engineer grunted and threw his cigarette into the trash can. "You call screamin' in pain _okay_, Aerith? You obviously didn't hear the transmission we last got from him."

"Aerith's right," Leon added, rubbing his head in exasperation as he stared at the furiously typing man in the chair. "Sora's been through plenty of tough spots before. He'll get out of this one, too."

"You keep telling yerself that," Cid mumbled. "Right after he stopped responding, I lost the signal completely. To top it off, I'm getting a reading of a powerful Nobody there…one on the level of someone from Organization XIII. Not sure whether it's data gone wild or a replica or just a regular one. Ether way, it looks dangerous."

"Should we send someone to look into it?" Yuffie asked. "I'm more than ready to go down there."

Cid rubbed his chin. "Can't risk sending any of _you_. There's a bad enough problem with the' heartless in a few other nearby places; you folks should focus yer efforts there."

"The who will you send?" Leon asked. "We have to send _someone_ after Sora."

The engineer grinned. "Don't worry. I know just the fella…"

* * *

Sora felt like he had just been stuffed through a blender…or at least something very similar. He ached all over, but thankfully the pain was on a manageable level for him, and he opened his eyes to see himself in what was apparently a small house, and he was lying on a bed that wasn't his. He began to sit up, finding that a blanket had been laid over him. When he did, he noticed a young man clad in green asleep in a chair next to him, his head and arms propped on the other end of the bed. _Did he bring me here?_ Sora wondered. _He must have been watching over me all night…_

The stranger stirred, and opened one eye. Upon noticing Sora was awake, he sat up abruptly. "Ah, sorry…you feeling okay? I found you passed out in Ordona's spring."

_This guy looks really familiar,_ Sora noted. "I'm fine…I think. Where am I?"

"You're in Ordon Village," the young man explained. "Just outside of the Faron Woods. We don't get visitors very often."

Sora took a deep breath – which ended up turning into a yawn anyway – and looked around. "This your house?"

The stranger nodded. "Yeah. Not much in here, I'm afraid, but it works. What's your name, by the way?"

_Sure is an interesting guy,_ Sora noted. _He seemed more interested in making sure I wasn't freaked out first. Pretty considerate if you ask me._ He smiled. "I'm Sora."

"Sora?" The young man echoed, cocking an eyebrow. He stared at Sora for a few moments before speaking again. "Nice name. Mine's Link."

_The guy that Colin mentioned…he has the same name as the wolf. _"Nice to meet you, Link," Sora replied, nodding a gesture. "Were you the one that got me out of the Spring? I remember seeing someone before I passed out."

Link nodded. "Yeah. I was coming back from the Faron Woods when I saw you lying there. What happened?"

_Chances of him believing I met a deity whom helped me go human back from my lion form are zero and nil. Time to play dumb._ Sora rubbed his head. "I don't really remember. Something attacked me when I was near the castle. Next thing I knew, I was here. I think I might not remember what happened in between."

"Amnesia, huh?" Link replied, sounding unconvinced. "At any rate, I'm not sure what happened to you, Sora, but you must have gotten caught up in the Twilight somehow. Looks like you managed to get out, though. Pretty impressive. Only one other person has ever managed to do that."

"Thanks…I guess." Sora stared at the floor. _I'm not sure how I did it, personally… Probably the keyblade, but I don't know. I did sort of notice the darkness moving away from it. Maybe that was it._

"Feel good enough to walk?" Link asked, standing. "I've got to head into the village and see if everyone's doing alright. I've been gone for a while, so they're probably all worried sick about me."

Sora nodded. "Sure. I wouldn't mind coming with you."

Link grinned, leading Sora out of his home and down a ladder to the great outdoors. Seeing the village from a few feet higher was something Sora appreciated, completely compensating for the fact that he could no longer hear what the chickens were discussing and that someone had turned his nose off. There wasn't very much activity in the village, but in spite of that it was still cheerful. Sitting on a dock nearby was none other than Colin, whom was making ripples in the water with his toes. Smiling, Link knelt down behind him. "How's the water today, Colin?"

The boy in question jumped a bit, startled, and turned around to see the two standing behind him. A smile climbed up his face and he leapt at Link, knocking him over in a warm, welcoming hug. "Link! You're back!"

"And now I'm on the ground," Link noted. "It's good to see you again, Colin. Sorry I'm late."

"You had us all so worried," Colin lamented, standing up and allowing Link room to do the same. "Epona came back without you, and she was pretty scraped up. Ilia told me not to, but I was so eager to go out and look for you…"

Link stiffened momentarily, but smiled. "I was fine. Just ran into a few detours and I ended up being separated from Epona…it was a long walk, but I made it eventually. Did anything happen while I was gone?"

Colin nodded. "Yeah. Aside from Epona coming back, I found this lion cub coming across the bridge. He kinda looked lost, so I took him in and all. Mom and dad let me keep him, but only if he stays outside. I went looking for him today, but he's gone…"

Link quirked an eyebrow while Sora smiled sadly. "Don't worry," he chimed, "I'm sure you'll see him again someday."

Hearing the voice of the newcomer, Colin glanced up. "Huh? Link, who's this?"

"His name is Sora," Link explained. "I found him at the Spring of Ordona. You know, where Ilia always goes to give Epona a bath?"

Colin nodded. "Yeah. The water there is really nice."

"And warm," Sora noted.

"Everyone else is out playing at the farm," Colin continued. "The goats are out grazing, so they're probably trying to torment them again. I wanted to find the lion so he could come along, but he just disappeared."

"Where are your parents?" Link asked.

"Mom's taking care of my baby brother in the house," Colin explained, pointing to the cottage in question. "Dad said he had an errand to run in the Faron Woods, so he left early this morning. I asked him what the errand was for, but he only muttered something about his old job and left. I haven't seen him that worked up since you disappeared that one time."

Sora cast a stray glance to Link, whom shuffled uneasily. "About that, Colin…"

"Yeah?"

Link knelt down to the boy's eye level. "Colin, you remember that thing that happened when you were taken to Kakariko? With the monsters?" Colin nodded, and Link continued. "I was coming back from Castle Town, and I saw it happen again. I don't know if I'll be enough to stop it this time, but I'm going to have to try."

"You can't leave now, Link!" Colin lamented. "You only just got back!"

"I have to," Link replied. "But this time it'll be different. I'm supposed to find someone to help me, so I won't be alone this time. I'm sure we'll make it through."

Colin looked uneasy about Link's decision, but Sora could tell that he knew more than he showed. The boy nodded after a moment. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Yeah," Link replied. "If you find that lion cub, make sure you keep an eye on him."

"How come?" Colin asked, blinking. This time, it was Sora's turn to shift uneasily.

Link just shrugged. "Not every day you see a lion in Hyrule, much less a providence near it."

_That sounds familiar,_ Sora noted. _Come to think of it, he does have the same name. Maybe-_

Before Sora could finish his thought, he felt an all-too-familiar feeling prickle up his spine. Narrowing his eyes, he examined every detail of his sight with expertise and found nothing. A familiar whirring sound came from behind him, and he spun around.

Waiting for him were three neoshadows.

"Those monsters again!" Link cried, reaching for the sword strapped to his back. "Colin, get somewhere safe, _now_!"

The boy had little argument. He quickly made his way across the stream and to the closest house – which happened to be one with a large water mill – and Link held his shield at ready. "How'd they make it here?!"

"They don't follow normal transportation rules," Sora replied. "They can show up wherever they want to."

Link looked about ready to play Twenty Questions with Sora, but considering the threat he apparently decided to postpone it. "Can you handle them, Sora?"

"I'd rather not have to," Sora admitted, "But there's no choice at this point." He whipped out the Keyblade and ran forward, swatting one of the heartless to the side and impaling the other. Link struck the third while Sora made short work of the first. Link's back was turned, but before one neoshadow could take advantage of that, Sora sent a stream of ice slamming into it, causing it to let loose one last cry of pain before vanishing. The final remaining monster was quickly disposed of when Link issued a leaping strike point blank on its skull, demolishing it.

"They sure went down easier than last time," Link noted, panting.

Sora quirked an eyebrow. "I take it you've fought heartless before?"

"And I didn't win," Link grumbled. "But that's not important at the moment. Where'd you get that sword?"

"Well," Sora began, not sure how to word it. "I just sort of…found it one day…"

Link's eyes narrowed. "Come with me, Sora. I have some questions for you."

_This isn't going to end well, is it…_

* * *

No, Sora, it probably won't. XD


	6. Return To The Twilight

I'm baaaaack! :D I bet you all missed me. Nah, probably not. I was on a roll with my other stories, most notably _Playing for Keeps_ which has been completed (/sniff/ I'm really ganna miss writing it...) as well as a one-shot and some other stuff, but I AM BACK, BABY! And I have a new chapter for you all. It's not much since I had kind of a block with this story for a while, but I had to throw something out there to get it up and running again. So here we go.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Six: Return To The Twilight**

* * *

Link kept his eyes narrowed and focused on the boy in front of him. He was young – possibly younger than Link himself – but something about him seemed powerful. He had taken him to Rusl's house and sat him on the couch for the time being. Rusl took a seat in one of the chairs around the dining table, and Link sat in his own chair that he had pulled up, his fingers laced. For a few minutes, they sat in silence, with Sora staring at the floor intently.

"You could start by telling us what those creatures were," Rusl said, causing Sora's head to snap up in attention. "Were they creatures of twilight?"

"No," Sora replied. "Those were heartless; basically the darkness in someone's heart given its own form. They go around searching for hearts to steal, normally from people." He hesitated, seeming like he was going to say more, but shook his head. "They're really dangerous."

"You fought them like you've been fighting them for years," Rusl pointed out. "With that…sword you have."

"You mean the keyblade?" Sora said. When Rusl nodded, he sighed and shrugged. "I guess it couldn't hurt to show you," he muttered, reaching in front of himself with his fingers extended. After a few moments, a small shower of light appeared before his hand, too bright to see for a moment before it wrapped itself into a solid form: the key-shaped sword that he had been using before.

Link looked at it suspiciously. There was something strange about it that he simply couldn't put his finger on. This was the keyblade that Faron had spoken of, he was certain of it, but for a weapon of such power, how could it have been given to a mere boy? Link knew he hadn't the room to talk – he had been young himself when he was drawn into the affairs of the twilight invasion of Hyrule, but he had also been blessed with the Triforce of courage. This boy was being drawn into something much bigger than just the Twilight, but for all Link could see, there was nothing else strange about him other than the weapon he wielded…at least at first glance.

"You aren't a sorcerer, are you?" Rusl asked warily.

Sora shook his head. "No, not at all. I'm not sure where it comes from, really…it just shows up when I call on it."

"May I see it?" Link asked. Sora nodded, tossing the weapon idly to him. Link caught it deftly – it wasn't too different compared with catching his boomerang – and examined it. While it _looked_ ordinary enough, aside from its shape, the way it _felt_ was far different. It was similar to when he had held the master sword for the first time: there was a great power in this weapon.

He was about to get a closer look when the key simply vanished from his hand in a short flash of light, reappearing in Sora's. While Link stared between his hands and Sora in confusion, the boy laughed lightheartedly. "Sorry. It does that."

"That weapon is capable of slaying those…creatures?" Rusl asked, crossing his arms.

"The heartless," Sora corrected. "Anything can defeat a heartless…but I think only the keyblade is capable of releasing the captive hearts that they hold. That's kind of why I'm here."

Link leaned back in his chair. "To release the captive hearts?" He asked.

Sora shook his head. "Not necessarily," he replied, the keyblade vanishing from his hands. "There's something I need to find. I can't say what it is, but most of the time it's in a really important place. You know of anything like that?"

_So he's looking for something,_ Link thought, crossing his arms. _Would help if he told us exactly what. But an important place…_ "I don't think you'd have much luck finding it," he said. "The twilight's covered up the Eldin and Lanaryu providences. If it's in there, you wouldn't have much luck getting to it."

"Is there a way I can clear it up?" Sora asked. "If I don't find it soon, the twilight will only get a lot worse."

Link sighed. "I was looking into that anyway," he said quietly. "This isn't the first time the twilight has threatened Hyrule, but with any hope, this time it'll be the _last_."

"Does this mean you'll be leaving us again, Link?" Rusl asked, jolting the boy from his thoughts.

"I have to," he replied. "I don't want the twilight taking over again. I'm not going to go through losing everyone I knew a second time."

Sora stood. "If you're going to be fighting any heartless, then I'm coming with you."

Link shook his head. "It's dangerous. You're safer if you-"

"You're not changing my mind," the boy interrupted. "Watching from the sidelines just isn't what I do, and I'm not defenseless either."

Rusl chuckled. "Well, Link, I have to agree with him. He helped you fight those monsters earlier, didn't he?"

"I guess so," Link replied. "I'm just worried. If we go into the twilight, he might be trapped as a spirit…"

Sora chuckled nervously. "I wouldn't worry about that."

_I've heard that _curiosity _killed the cat…but this kid's confidence is going to get him more than killed someday._ "If you insist on going, then," Link replied with a sigh, "Then I'll let you come. Just be careful."

The boy only grinned. "I will."

* * *

Several minutes later saw Link and Sora exiting the village without much to say. Link had strapped the Ordon Sword to his back, as well as his old wooden shield, but Sora had refused to do much in the way of preparations. This concerned Link, but when he tried to bring it up with Sora, the brunette only shook his head.

They stopped by the fountain on the way out to retrieve Epona, and while Link was surprised that Ilia had not been the one to lead her there, he was even more surprised when Sora recognized the horse.

"You know her?" Link asked.

Sora shrugged. "Sort of," he replied. "Epona, right?"

The horse shorted and shook its mane in reply. Link quirked an eyebrow. "So you know her name," he said. "At least we won't have to waste time on introductions."

"Are we going to ride her?" Sora asked.

Link rolled his eyes. "What else do you do on a horse's back?" he replied, grinning. "Don't worry. She's carried two people at once before."

As he was tightening the saddle, Link glanced over at Sora again. Currently the boy was looking at where the water was flowing out of the spring. He couldn't help but remember how familiar he had looked…the eyes, the voice…but when he looked even closer, he saw that the boy had another familiar trait about him: a crown pendant around his neck.

It was the same one that the _other_ Sora had.

Link's eyes narrowed. "Sora, where did you get that pendant?"

Sora hesitated, clutching it in his hand. "I've had it for a long time," he replied. "Several years, actually…I think I got it for my birthday when I was younger. I haven't really parted with it since." He looked up. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Link replied. To his relief, Sora bought his excuse and went back to staring at the water. _If he's that gullible, he won't last long out here…but he's not about to head back._ "Okay, she's ready to go. I'll be riding in the front, so you get on first."

It took a few minutes to show Sora how to properly mount a horse, and Epona was very patient with him. His shoes were a problem for a while, but eventually he found out how to get around that, and Link put himself up on the saddle. "If we're going to look for whatever it is you're trying to find," he said, urging Epona forward and starting down the trail, "We'll have to clear away the twilight first. Are you sure you're not worried? Only one person has _ever_ gone into the twilight and come out without becoming a spirit along the way."

"I know," Sora said simply. "But trust me, I can think of worse things than becoming a spirit."

_Gullible _and_ persistent. He certainly is an odd one._

Link guided Epona slowly across the bridge, and once they passed he urged Epona into a slow canter for speed. For claiming to have never ridden a horse, Sora had an impeccable sense of balance, only jolting a bit when the pace picked up. Link had also noticed that Sora took a great interest in his new surroundings, and thus didn't urge Epona to go too quickly.

Sora gasped in amazement when they entered the large field beyond the woods. Link didn't blame him; the scenery change was pretty sudden, not helped by the fact that Hyrule Field was indeed beautiful. "You _live_ in this place?" Sora exclaimed.

"Actually I live back in Ordon," Link replied, "But I do agree with you…the first time I came out here to the field I was pretty amazed, too." He looked off to the west with a grim look on his face. There was an enormous wall of black, much similar to the one he had seen when the twilight had taken over. It had its own brand of beauty to it, but it didn't help the thought of whatever was happening inside. "The Eldin providence isn't very far from here," Link continued. "Just off to the west and past that wall…"

Following his gaze, Sora made a quiet sound that seemed like a mixture of awe, sympathy, and horror. "The twilight is past there? It looks different from this angle…"

_He's seen it before?_ Link thought. Hearing Sora's question, however, he urged Epona into a canter over to the passageway. "Yeah. If we head in and restore the light spirit, though, the twilight should vanish. Lanaryu's in the twilight as well, though, so we'll have to head there next to get it out of the way."

There was a few seconds of silence where only Epona's hoof beats were heard. "There's a catch, isn't there?" Sora said at last.

"You catch on fast, don't you?" Link replied. "When I enter the twilight, I'm no longer human, and with any luck you won't be either."

"No longer human?" Sora echoed with a hint of knowing as he winced nervously.

Link shrugged. "It's better than being a spirit at any rate. I've never been a spirit, so I don't know what it's like firsthand, but I know many people who have. It's like living in a nightmare, at least until the twilight goes away."

Sora hummed in agreement, and Link had a feeling that the boy had experienced something similar. Once near the canyon, Link tugged lightly on the reins, halting Epona and beginning to dismount. Sora quirked an eyebrow. "We're stopping here?"

"The twilight tends to scare Epona," Link replied. "She won't go too close to it, and I don't really intend to spook her." After helping Sora down (which was thankfully much easier than getting him up), he began walking forward, waving Sora to follow him. "Don't worry about Epona, she'll be fine."

After pausing a moment to mutter something to the horse, Sora jogged back up to Link following him to the wall. There, he paused, and crossed his arms. "The last time I went here," Link said, "I had a bit of help. But now I don't have that help, so I'm not sure how we're supposed to open the way."

"Can't we just walk through?"

"No…you have to have someone from the twilight drag you in, or have the twilight cover the area you're in currently. I don't think the latter is an option, and I don't know any twili willing to cooperate…" _If only Midna were here, this would be a lot simpler._

Sora crossed his arms in thought. "Is there any other way through?"

"Not that I know of," Link replied, shaking his head. "There was one that I knew that managed to make it out…but I'm not sure how he did it." _I sure hope that cub is alright…_

While he contemplated, Link noticed Sora curiously approaching the door and examining it closely. After looking around a bit, he backed up and summoned the keyblade in his hand. "I dunno if this'll work," he said, "But it's a hunch."

Link raised an eyebrow. "The keyblade? You sure that can open it."

Sora grinned. "'course. If we have to, though, we could just let one of those monsters drag us in or think of something else." With that, he aimed the keyblade at the door and waited. For a moment, nothing happened, but Link watched in awe as a light gathered at the tip of the keyblade and shot outward, hitting the dark wall that separated the twilight-covered Hyrule and the light. Upon impact, the wall shifted, swirling oddly. Sora dismissed the keyblade and leaned forward. "Not sure what that did," he muttered, reaching forward to touch the wall.

"Wait a minute," Link cried. "You can't just walk through it! It doesn't work like-"

But before he could protest further, that's just what Sora did. Link shook his head and approached. _There's a lot more to him than meets the eye,_ he reminded himself as he stepped through the curtain of twilight.

The sensation that passed over him was unnerving, like someone had shocked him with static electricity over and over but without the pain. By the time Link was on the other side, he learned why Midna had jerked him so harshly and quickly through; going through any slower was no picnic. Once out, he had a brief moment to look over the darkened landscape before a familiar jerk forced him onto his hands and knees.

It took a while to get his composure back, as usual. The darkness had converged on him and twisted his form: hands into paws, nose into muzzle. His ears were more upright and pointed, and he gained a tail as well. Link anticipated being a wolf, but it was never quite that simple to shift into that form again without wincing. Shaking off, he glanced around in search of Sora, hoping the boy wasn't a spirit.

But the keyblade-wielding boy was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

...I hate this chapter. I really, really do. It was hard as crap to come up with a way for them to enter the twilight again (even when I came up with something I still didn't like it much), and I don't like writing out parts like these. Next chapter, however, will have some action and revelations and much more juicy stuff than this chapter had. So, um...here's to something? (goes and starts writing chapter 7)


	7. The First Twilight

Shorter chapter. Sorry 'bout that. Also, I couldn't think of a name for this chapter, so I just stuck something generic on there.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Seven: The First Twilight**

* * *

Sora could barely move. Going through the twilight door was a lot more painful than he had anticipated; had he heeded Link's warning he probably would have moved a lot faster. Still, when he came out on the other side, it didn't surprise him too much that he had once again become a lion cub, so he had bounded a few yards to get used to having four legs again.

_So this is what he meant by no longer human,_ he thought. _I wonder where Link is. He was right behind me…_

There wasn't enough time to contemplate the matter when Sora felt a familiar chill run down his spine. He instinctively summoned the keyblade in his mouth, snarling as the familiar forms of shadows appeared around him. He was about to lunge forward when he felt his front leg sting in pain and he stumbled, though thankfully it not only threw _him_ off, but also the heartless that decided now was a good chance to jump at him. Sora rolled to the side, limping and examining the enemy more closely this time. There were only five of them. _This would be a piece of cake if my arm wasn't out of commission,_ he thought, not bothering to correct his terminology. _Whatever happened to me in that door definitely left its mark._

One of the shadows lunged. Sora leapt into the air, using his hind legs to propel himself into the air, charging the enemy and sending it slamming into the keyblade and obliterating. One down, four to go until the clear. He shot a barrage of thunder spells at the others, taking down two. The pain shot up his leg again and he stumbled back as the last two began to converge on him.

"Get down!"

In a blur of brown and tan, Sora saw a familiar form leap over him and crash into the remaining shadows, shattering them into black mist. The boy-turned-feline gripped the keyblade tightly in his jaws should this new arrival be an enemy, but when his vision cleared he realized that the newcomer was no enemy, and no stranger, either. It was the wolf from before…the one with the same name as the human that had led him here.

Link turned around, possibly to ask Sora if he was alright, but his eyes widened. Sora knew what he was looking at, and set the keyblade gently on the ground, dismissing it after a contemplative moment. "I can explain," he said quietly.

"I should have guessed," Link replied, sitting. "The crown pendant…you said you never took it off, and I'm pretty sure no lion cub in Hyrule would just randomly have a pendant around his neck. Don't think he'd have a keyblade, either."

Something clicked in Sora's mind when he heard the wolf's words, and his eyes widened. "Wait a second," he said. "You're the same Link that showed me the way here?!"

Link chuckled oddly. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

Sora winced; he hadn't always been too keen on that sort of thing. The vague memory of falling for Mulan's façade when she was pretending to be a man to join the army came to him. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier," he muttered.

"It's a surprise, I have to admit," Link replied, standing and shaking off, "But you really worried me. The lion cub I was worried about disappeared without a trace, and then I had the human you to worry about. At least you're both one and the same, but…wait, what happened to your leg?"

"I'm not sure," Sora replied, moving it experimentally. He was thankful for the change in subject; why he had to hide the keyblade earlier was not something he wanted to get into right now. "I was fine just a few moments ago, then the heartless showed up and it just sort of…stung."

Link bent down, sniffing it experimentally. Sora nearly pulled away, but he knew that Link wouldn't hurt him. "Doesn't smell injured," he said after a few seconds. "Probably something that happened in the gate."

"Think so?" Sora asked.

"Not sure," Link replied. "I usually went through it a lot faster than just walking, so that's all I can come up with." He looked around. "The gorge is past here. After that, there's the village. That's where the spring is; it's the only real resting place around here. Can you walk that far?"

Sora nodded. "With any luck, yeah."

Link looked skeptical, but he nodded and they started forward anyway. Sora took in the twilight: it looked different from the castle. Then again, this was a different part of Hyrule anyway. After the small path, the field spread outward again, quite similar to the area before they had gone through the gate. The only difference here was that the grass was drier and there was a nice, bottomless chasm slicing right through the center of the place. Sora knew that cats always landed on their feet and they were capable of surviving without injury from long falls, but he wasn't keen on testing that theory from _that_ height.

"After we cross that bridge we'll be nearly there," Link stated. "Leg still doing okay?"

"Just a bit of a limp," Sora replied. "I've had worse." He paused, staring at the twilit sky before speaking again. "The spring is in the village, right?" he asked. "Is the light spirit there?"

"Thanks to the twilight, he's not," Link replied. "Eldin's _essence_ is probably there, but his actual _light_ is probably scattered."

"So we're going to get it back, right?" Sora continued. "Then the twilight will be gone."

Link nodded. "The twilight in _this_ region, yes. Lanaryu is covered in twilight as well, so we'll have to go there later and clear it up. After that, the twilight will be gone entirely and you can look for whatever it is you're trying to find."

Sora narrowed his eyes as he took another limp forward. The keyhole. If he didn't find it, then this world would vanish just like his home did…

"You okay, Sora?"

He snapped from his thoughts. "I told you, my leg's fine."

"Not that," Link replied. "Your mind was wandering. Something scaring you?"

Sora blinked. "Wha…how'd you know?"

"I'm a wolf; I can smell this stuff."

"Oh…" Sora stated at the ground. "Well, this thing I have to find…I've just been thinking about it, that's all. See, if I don't find it…let's just say that the twilight will get ten times worse than it already is, and I don't mean by spreading to more places."

Link sighed in exasperation. "You don't have to keep secrets from me, Sora. You can trust me with this."

Sora shook his head. "The twilight…I know you want it gone, so I'm helping you get rid of it. In turn, you're helping me find what I'm looking for, right?" When Link nodded, he almost smiled in relief. "It's just…well, if I don't find what I'm looking for before the heartless do…"

"What'll happen?" Link asked.

He didn't bother covering up his fear as the memory of the storm at his home flashed in his mind. Riku succumbing to the darkness, Kairi vanishing, the world itself slowly dissolving around him, the heartless swarming around him when the keyblade appeared in his hand. His desperation as he grabbed onto the last sliver of his world that was left, only for the otherworldly wind to tear him away from it. He flew upward as the last trace of his beloved home fell farther and farther away from his fingers… Sora had to shake his head a bit to keep from shivering at the memory that still haunted him, even though the islands had since been restored. "Some things are just better left unsaid," he muttered quietly.

Surprisingly, Link only nodded and turned back to the path as they began walking across the bridge. Sora cringed a bit when he felt wood underneath his paws; he had felt grass and stone before (and recently very _slippery_ stone), but wood felt simply…odd. Like he was walking on a tree. A very _flat_ tree.

Technically he was, but Sora shook the thought off and continued.

Their trip across the gorge was thankfully uneventful, but the limp in Sora's leg didn't get any better. At the end of the road, near another canyon, they came upon a large (at least from a cat's eye view) gate.

"They left it open," Link observed. "Probably not the best choice, but it's convenient for us."

"Gates won't stop heartless," Sora noted as he headed through next to the wolf. _I don't think _anything_ can…_

By the time any signs of life came in sight, Sora was about ready to collapse from the pain in his leg. He knew the 'grin and bear it' approach that he normally took would only get him so far, but he had gone through other, worse things for the sake of a world he never lived on. Now, however, it was too much for him. "Link, wait up."

The wolf paused, glancing back at him. "We're almost to the spring. Can you make it?"

Sora shook his head. "Not any farther," he replied, hopping forward while holding his injured leg in the air. "I can keep going if I walk like this…"

"And you'll get even _more_ injured when the heartless show up and you can't defend yourself," Link protested. "I'm carrying you."

"What? How can you carry me? You don't have arms…"

"I don't _need_ arms, Sora."

"…oh, no you don't!"

"You can't run on three legs!"

"Let go! _Let go_!"

"Quit squirming! You wanna hurt yourself more?"

"Gerroff!"

Roughly ten seconds later, Sora once again found himself dangling in the air by the nape of his neck. He crossed his "arms" and flicked his tail in annoyance, glaring forward since he couldn't turn his head to do so at Link. "This is _so_ undignifying…"

"It's no fun for me either," Link replied through his teeth – quite literally – as he continued down the path. "Personally though, I'd take this over being killed."

Sora would have protested, but Link had a point: being injured in the time of an ambush was suicide. Luckily, they were in the twilight and not the realm of light, so no one would have the misfortune of seeing a cat being carried by a dog.

Within a few minutes, the village came into view. It was unlike most of the villages Sora had been to; it was set in a small, dusty canyon with very few buildings scattered about, many of them tall. On one ledge to the far part of the village was the burnt remains of a small storage building, and many of the doors and windows were all boarded up. Link headed directly for the spring near the entrance of the village, which looked strikingly similar to the ones that had been near Ordon. Sora noticed right away, however, that the spring felt…empty. There was water flowing, sure, but the comforting aura that had been around the other springs was not there.

Link carefully placed Sora down in the water of the spring and entered the water himself. "The light isn't intact, so the water doesn't have the healing properties that it normally does. Just rest for now." The wolf strode forward. "Eldin, can you hear me?"

_**…**__**yes…**_

Sora winced. The voice of this light spirit didn't resonate quite a clearly as the one in Ordon had; its voice was mixed with an unsettling wail of pain. If Link was bothered, he did a good job hiding it. "Who did this to you?"

_**…**__**dark creatures…called the heartless…**_

_I knew it._

_**They have…stolen my light…and the light of others…**_

"What should we do?" Link asked.

_**The key…will know the way…**_

Nothing else came from the remainder of the spirit's essence. Sora listened for a few minutes, eager for more help, but only heard the wailing that was left in the wake of darkness.

* * *

A stranger strode down a path, his figure and face hidden by a traditional Hylian cloak. _Better this than those black ones,_ he noted. _The locals are already wary of _him_…_

He knew what he had come for. The Lanaryu providence was just ahead, and according to his sources, he'd find what he needed there. The only downside was that Lanaryu was _huge_, and he was certain he wasn't the only one searching. The heartless had been spotted in Ordona; for them to have gone that far their leader could be very powerful by now.

The robed stranger halted in his tracks. The world around him had suddenly grown pitch-black, and ahead of him was an even darker wall, its edges glowing with an ominous orange light. When he looked closer, he could see a pattern spreading across it. _Lanaryu has to be past here…but how am I supposed to get past this wall?_

The wall rippled suspiciously. The boy blinked, and backed away a step to get a better look. He didn't have much time to look when he felt the air pulse strongly with darkness. Knowing that staying around would probably not be a good idea, he turned to leave.

He didn't get a chance to. A large, orange hand exploded from the wall, clutching him tightly around his torso and eliciting a scream of shock from his throat before it dragged him in without warning. At once, his vision went black.


	8. Trek To Death Mountain

Happy valentine's everyone! n.n For those of us that celebrate it. O_o Short chappie this time…sorry!

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Eight: Trek to Death Mountain**

* * *

Link was starting to wonder why Sora was staring so intently at the spring, but had decided to let the boy think for a moment. In the meantime, he wandered back onto the drier land and shook himself off – not that he was wet or dirty, but he just felt like doing it. Any other canine did it when they woke up from a nap, and he was beginning to understand why.

_The key will show the way,_ he echoed. _Does he mean Sora's keyblade? Or maybe something else?_

"Link?"

The wolf snapped out of his thoughts and saw Sora standing next to him. "…Yeah?"

"Let's go."

He blinked. Sora certainly was to the point. _Does he ever think things through before he dives in?_ "Go where?" Link asked.

"To help the light spirit."

_I think I'll take that as a 'no.' _"We don't know where to start, Sora."

But Sora ignored him. He closed his eyes, bowing his head for a moment as though in deep thought. "I do," he answered. Promptly, as though his own words cued it, he paused. "Well, not exactly, but I know the basic place."

"What about your leg?" Link asked, skeptical. "You feeling any better?"

"It still tingles," Sora admitted, "But it's wearing off now, so I'm pretty sure I can walk and run a bit. I'll be up to speed in no time at the rate it's going."

Link nodded. "If you say so. I still don't see how you can know where to go if you've never been here before. Besides, that light can be _anywhere_."

"I'm not sure either," Sora replied, shrugging. "I think we need to go to a mountain."

"That would be Death Mountain," Link stated. "It's not far from here. Just up the road and past the mountain trail, there's the Goron Village. We might find something there."

Sora grinned. "Sounds good to me. But, um…" He winced slightly. "Why is it called _Death_ Mountain?"

Link shrugged. "I don't know. Everyone here in Kakariko Village calls it that. Probably because of the old dragon that used to wreak havoc there before the Gorons took care of it."

"Gorons?"

"You'll see when we get there," Link replied. "You're full of questions, aren't you? You sure you're not just from a neighboring kingdom?"

Sora chuckled nervously. "I'm from really far away, actually. We don't have Gorons or anything like that where I live…"

_More secrets._ "How far away?"

"In the ocean," Sora replied, looking sad. "On a small chain of islands…after the heartless attacked, I lost my home and my friends disappeared. I found them again, but I can't go home until the heartless…"

His voice trailed off, and Link could see the pain in his eyes. Had he been human, Link would have bitten his lip, but he settled for looking away. "I'm sorry to drag you into this," he said.

Sora shook his head. "Don't be," he said sternly. "I'm needed here."

Link tilted his head. "Needed?"

He must have said something strange, because Sora quickly cleared his throat and corrected himself. "Well…yeah, that's one way to put it. I mean, I've been tracking down the heartless for a while, so this isn't really a burden or anything. Granted, I didn't exactly get the start that I needed with being thrown in prison…"

_I don't think anyone would need a start like that. Come to think of it, he started out here a lot like me. We sure have a lot more in common than I thought._

"Now that I think about it," Sora began, "You haven't seen any people in black hoods, have you?"

_Where'd that come from? _"No," Link replied. "Not anyone."

"Good."

"…is there a reason why you ask?"

"Not really. Just wondering."

_Right…_

"So, where's Death Mountain?"

Glad for a change of subject, Link began forward down the dusty path through the middle of Kakariko village. "Follow me…by the way, Sora."

"Yeah?"

"How did you know we needed to go to the mountain?"

Sora hesitated, furrowing his eyebrows in thought before answering. "Just a feeling I got."

Link chuckled. "Why am I not surprised…" he muttered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

* * *

"_Can't you go any faster?"_

"_I'm not used to _four_ legs, only _two_. It doesn't help that you're sitting on me, either."_

"_You're not the first guy I've met that's like that. You should consider yourself lucky; if you aren't a beast in this world, you're a spirit, and spirits can't do diddly-squat about those monsters."_

"_No, I'm certain they can't."_

"_Better get used to claws and fangs then, beast-boy, 'cause that's all you've got to work with right now as far as I can tell."_

"_I told you, my name is-"_

"_I'll call you what I want. Look, there's something I need you to help me with."_

"_Forget it. I got dragged in here and I'm too busy trying to find my way back out to help you with anything. I've got a friend to find."_

"_That's a shame. I mean, I _am_ the one who led you here, and I _was_ going to help you in return…"_

"…_fine. What do you need?"_

"_That's a good boy! Now listen closely…"_

* * *

Yuffie could hardly believe what she was hearing. Leon seemed to be taking the news rather well, but something like this…the people that Cid had mentioned…Yuffie couldn't stand them! Why, of all people…he could have sent her, or Leon, or even Cloud, for Ventus's sake; why _them_?

"I don't care if they call you fat," Cid said for the umpteenth time. "They're the best fit for the job and they'll easily go unnoticed in that world."

"They're pixies, Cid!" Yuffie cried. "Oversized, strangely-dressed _pixies_! How are pixies supposed to go unnoticed?"

Cid rolled his eyes. "They're small and good at hiding. Plus they're fast, and we won't have to put them in a very big ship."

"They also helped us in the war against the heartless," Aerith added, "Remember?"

"Ugh, _fine_," Yuffie groaned, "But if they end up getting distracted from their duty by some stupid treasure, don't come complaining to me." With that, she stalked off. Cid shouted some profanities at her when she slammed the door behind her, but she ignored him.

* * *

"Is it even _legal_ for a road to be so…so…"

"Rocky?"

"Something along those lines, yeah."

"I don't see why you're complaining. You're moving along faster than I am. We don't have much farther to go, anyway."

"I think you neglected to mention this place was a volcano, too…"

"Yeah, I think I did."

"That would explain why the ground shakes every two seconds. It's not helping me any, you know."

"At least you don't have to _climb_!"

"Jumping isn't any easier on the paws!"

By the time the wolf and cub made it past the steepest incline of the trail, they paused to rest near the steam vents. Sora was far more exhausted than Link for unknown reasons, and stared at the indentations in the walls with interest. "There used to be Bokoblins in those," Link explained. "They don't come around anymore, not ever since the twilight was gone for good last time." He hesitated, sighing and staring at the ground. "At least, that's what I had hoped…"

Sora stood. "We'll get rid of it. I promise."

Link was taken aback at first by Sora's swift and optimistic reaction, but when he looked closer at the cub, he could see something in his eyes. The cub may have acted optimistic, but he had clearly been through much worse than the twilight. How he could keep smiling like that was incredible. _I guess we all have to have something to keep us going. I wonder what his something is.  
_

"Hey, Link…what's that sound?"

"Sound?" Link repeated, listening closely. Aside from the whirring of the twilight realm, he could hear a faint whistle of a soothing, familiar song. Following it with his ears, he strode up to a large stone with a hole through its center. He grinned when he recognized it. "Oh, that's a howling stone."

Sora tilted his head curiously, following Link's gaze and trotting over to the object in question. "What's it for?"

"I never really found out for sure," Link replied. "All I know is that there's a song if you listen closely."

The lion cub nodded, pricking one ear up and listening closely. He closed his eyes, humming the notes as they came along. After a few moments he even swayed with the melody. When his eyes opened again, he smiled. "It's really pretty," he said. "It sort of feels calming."

Link grinned. "It is," he replied, sitting down. "There's an old legend behind the howling stones about a golden wolf."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Link replied, staring at the sky for a while. "The golden wolf was actually a hero hailed by the gods. He lived a really long time ago, and one of his eyes glows red. I've only met him once."

"You've _met_ him?"

"I did, a long time ago." Link looked away, recalling the beginning of his quest to rescue Hyrule from Zant's clutches. "I had first set out on my own journey when the children were kidnapped from Ordon Village. I went to look for them, and I ended up getting involved getting rid of the twilight."

"So _that's_ how you know so much about it," Sora breathed.

Link nodded. "I was on my way to the temple in Faron Woods when I met the hero. He never told me his name or anything…he just spoke to me as though he knew me all my life. Apparently he's one of my ancestors."

"Cool!"

_He sounds like a little kid. I was pretty amazed too, though, when I found out…_

"I never really got to know my ancestors…the islands where I come from didn't really have much to go in the way of culture. There were a few superstitions, but I never really believed any of them until recently."

"Like what?" Link asked.

Sora looked upward for a moment. "There was one about the Paopu Fruit. They say if you share it with someone, your destinies will be intertwined and you'll be a part of each other's lives no matter what."

"Do you believe it?"

"Maybe," Sora replied, shrugging. "But I know now you don't need a Paopu Fruit for your destiny to be linked with someone else's." Having nothing more to say on the subject, he stood, a deterimined look in his eyes. "Let's go."

Link shook off again and led Sora further down the path toward the Goron village. "We're nearly there," he said. "It's not much farther after this."

"Any more big jumps?"

"Not many, but I think so."

Sora's serious expression left as quickly as it came. "Aw, _man_…"

"You want me to carry you up? You don't weigh that much…"

"N-No! That's fine, I can handle it…"

As they walked away, a golden wolf appeared next to the howling stone, its red eye focused on them. Its expression remained indiscernible as it vanished once again, leaving no trace of its presence behind.


	9. Rest and Restoration

Blah, another short and sloppy one. Next chappie will have a lot more Link love.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Spoilers. Twilight once more covers Hyrule, and Link knows that this Twilight isn't the one he's familiar with. What are these new beasts of darkness, and who is this boy with a key…?

**Chapter Nine: Rest and Restoration**

* * *

Paine was not happy. The ride to Hyrule had been everything _but_ comfortable, consisting of dealing with obnoxious chipmunks, Rikku's hyperactive antics, and Yuna's nearly intoxicating optimism. Okay, maybe it was an exaggeration, but she much preferred their previous occupation.

Treasure hunting beat keyblade master hunting any day.

They had reported to Cid immediately upon so much as seeing the world. Half of it was covered in a strange veil of darkness, and Cid was getting intense yet indecipherable readings from it. They determined that landing in it would be far too dangerous and settled for the forest instead.

"Ooooh, lookit this!"

Paine rolled her eyes for what was probably the millionth time. Or million-and-fifty-second. She lost count after five. "Rikku, don't touch that."

The blonde pixie grumbled and floated away from an elegant sword which had been set on a small white pedestal. Yuna, meanwhile, floated around suspiciously. "The fog here certainly is thick…maybe we should try a higher view."

"Cid said this world is _big_, though!" Rikku replied. "Sora could be _anywhere_!"

"Which is what searching is for," Paine explained in absolute deadpan as she began forward. "Come on. And put that down, Rikku. That's not yours."

Rikku huffed and set down a small pouch that had been set next to the sword. "Meh, it was closed too tightly anyway. I bet whatever was in there was worthless."

"We're not here for a treasure hunt, Rikku," Yuna reminded her friend.

"But that doesn't mean we can't pick up something along the way!"

"We can do all the hunting we want later. Let's find Sora already…before the heartless do."

Having no argument with that, Rikku followed Paine as they made their way out of the peaceful grove and into a thick forest.

* * *

"_Just how far away is this lake?"_

"_Oh, for the goddess's sake, it's not _that_ far. If you were _running_, we'd get there faster."_

"_In case you haven't noticed, the fact that you're sitting on top of me isn't helping me go any faster. And I'm still not used to four legs."_

"_Just keep going. You'll get the hang of it."_

"_Whatever you say. Look, I'm not too keen on staying here, so can you at least give me a hint?"_

"_I already told you! When we get to the lake, I'll fill you in! Geez, you're so impatient…"_

"_Um…is there supposed to be a…"_

"…_no."_

"_Is that bad?"_

"_Yep."_

"…_running time?"_

"_Running time."_

"_GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

* * *

"I never want to see another _rock_ ever again," Sora grumbled, shaking his fur off. "_Ever_."

Link had sat down near the cliff wall the moment they reached the Goron Village, and Sora was quite certain that he shared the sentiment. "At least we're here," he panted. "Once we find the light spirit's light we'll be back in the spring, so we won't have to climb our way back."

Sora stared at the sky, which was trapped in perpetual twilight. _Guess that's where it got its name,_ he mused. Strangely enough, for something that had to be dispelled for the sake of everyone's lives, it was rather beautiful. He quirked an eyebrow. "What do you think the light spirit meant? You know, how the key will show the way? Was he referring to me?"

"I'd be surprised if he wasn't," Link replied. "You said we had to come here off of a feeling you had, right?"

"Well…yeah, I did."

"Is that feeling telling you anything else?"

Sora turned away from the sky to stare at the ground. "Hmm…" He thought hard, squeezing his eyes shut. _The key will show the way…the key will show the way…come on, key, show the way like you did fifteen minutes ago!_

The keyblade appeared on the ground, and Sora placed a hand – paw – on the handle, knowing he couldn't pick it up but doing it anyway. His eyes remained closed. An image formed in his mind: an enormous black serpent flying through the air, teeth bared and eyes narrowed. A pair of wings extended from its back, and a pair of arms from just underneath them. Its entire body was covered in red linear designs. Clutched in its claws was a familair shining orb…

It took all of two seconds for Sora to realize that his eyes were now open, and the beast that was flying in the sky right overhead was now making a beeline for him. He dove out of the way just in time as the monster crashed into the ground, causing the entire area to tremble madly. Link managed to keep his footing, but Sora was tossed into the air. The keyblade was hurled upward, and with a burst of strength, Sora pushed himself off of the wall he had been falling toward and soared forward, catching his weapon in his mouth. Link took the chance to latch onto the monster's wing and gnaw at the base of it. Black smoke replaced what probably should have been blood, and a feral screech tore from the monster's throat.

Sora launched himself at the monster's face, lashing about with the keyblade and successfully dislodging one of the creature's eyes. He ignored its agonizing scream and made for the other one, only to find himself thrown off. It was then that he noticed something important, and dismissed the keyblade momentarily. "Link! The orb in its claws!"

The wolf had also been thrown off, and shook himself back to his senses. "What about it?"

"That's the light spirit's light! We have to get it!"

Following his thoughts quickly, Link hurled himself at the orb, only to be met with a bright flash of darkness that sent him careening into the stone wall. A few chunks of rock flew out of the cliff on impact, falling dangerously close to where Link landed on the ground. "I can't get near it!" He cried. "We have to kill that monster first!"

Fortunately, they had done some damage. With one eye out of commission and an injured wing, the beast couldn't fly very high. Sora felt a thunder spell tingling in his claws, and was struck with an idea. "I've got an idea," he said. "Distract him, will you?"

"Got it!" Link replied, running below the creature and barking ferociously. The monster's eyes might not be in good shape, but its ears were in perfect condition. It roared angrily and dove for Link.

That was all Sora needed.

With the keyblade still dismissed, the lion cub leapt into the air and dug his claws into the creature's neck, sinking his teeth into the darkened flesh in a desperate attempt to hold on as the creature swooped down and made its way into the sky again. It was harder because the thunder spell Sora had been channeling through his claws was still going, and the serpent was writhing in midair.

Sora gritted his teeth and dug further into the monster's skin, climbing his way up onto the creature's back. The monster was nose-diving again. Sora winced as the ground rushed at him, and an image flashed in his mind…

"_You never told me you couldn't swim…"_

_He was still gasping for breath. What had been just a normal outing had become a disaster when Sora fell off the docks into the deep water. Luckily Riku had fished him out in time._

"_You meanie! Sora coulda gotten hurt!"_

_But Sora shook his head. "It's okay. It's not Riku's fault. I just wanted to prove I wasn't chicken."_

_Riku's eyes softened slightly as he took in Sora's words. Back then, Sora didn't know what it meant. He would, though, given time._

_Several years later, Sora had finally learned to swim, and it served him well. This time, Sora had found himself knocked off of what everyone had come to call "Riku's Island" after a sparring match with his best friend. He gave the boy his trademark pout, but Riku returned his trademark "I win" expression, smirk and all._

_Only months afterward, a silver-haired boy stood before him. Sora had the keyblade drawn. He knew who this person was; he had seen past the façade, past the false image of his beloved friend. Even so, the other boy smirked with that familiar victorious expression…but something was wrong. There was an uncharacteristic look in his eyes, one of what could only be described as evil. "What's wrong, Sora? Don't recognize an old friend?"_

_Bloodied hands tightened their grip on the kingdom key. "Liar! You're not Riku!"_

_He knew he was right. The fake Riku sneered and vanished as a voice spoke to his mind._

"_Is that one of the keyblade's many powers? The ability to see past a mask of darkness?"_

Sora snapped back to his senses just in time to be thrown off of the great beast. He shook himself a bit, hoping to regain composure before it cost him his life…or worse. _But what was that? Why am I remembering-_

Link howled in shock as the beast closed in, lashing out with its whip-like tail. He gained a gash across his ribs, but lunged again, this time at one of the creature's arms instead. Sora winced when he saw the wolf chew through it but not quite remove it, but shook it off and made for the other arm.

The pain was apparently enough to make the beast drop the orb. It screamed, flinging the light away from itself and began to fly off, leaving Sora and Link to let go and plummet to the ground, thankfully landing softly.

"We did it," Link panted. "That beast…whatever it was…it let go of the light."

Sora was still regaining his composure. Whatever had happened just then…that memory that had flashed before him…what had caused it? He gasped for breath and collapsed, lying sideways on the ground. "What now?" he mumbled.

Link didn't say anything, but instead walked over to him and nudged him. "The light is free…but I don't think it'll return on its own. I can't touch it…got a plan?"

Struck with an idea, Sora pushed himself upward again, summoning the keyblade in his jaws. A light sparked at the tip, just like it always had. Then, with a surge of instinct, Sora manipulated the keyblade into such a grip with his tail that it pointed directly at the hovering sphere of light. A beam shot out of the key's tip and spread, surrounding the orb. Then, the keyblade dismissed itself, and the light was released.

"Sora!" He heard Link cry. "Get back! Hurry!"

But he was mesmerized. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. Sora began to step closer.

"Wait! You can't-"

The orb began to rapidly glow brighter, to the point where Sora could no longer look toward it or even keep his eyes open. He felt himself being jerked into the air, accompanied by the sensation of someone peeling his skin off, and he felt his feline form fade away. Then, just as a bout of pain set in, he felt the warmth of the light wrap around him and ease his worry. Sora's eyes rolled upward and his eyelids fluttered closed, and he felt himself floating calmly in an endless sea of light…

* * *

"_You're just as beautiful as I remember you being."_

_The princess backed away warily. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought the-"_

"_The pathway was opened," a figure cloaked in black twilight robes replied, "Thanks to these creatures of darkness. We have far more power than you could possibly imagine…"_

"_Leave!" the princess commanded. "Leave now, or I'll-"_

"_You are powerless against me, Princess. As you already know, I have several providences of Hyrule already covered in twilight, including your precious castle, and with it more power. Tell me, are you sure you have the power to withstand the might of a Nobody?"_

_The princess's eyes widened. "Nobody…? No, it can't be! You don't exist!"_

"_Ah, but we do. How about a demonstration of the power which I hold? I'm sure that will prove _plenty_ to you…"_

"_No!" The princess cried, backing away. "Get away from me! No! Nooooooo!"_

_An explosion of darkness flooded her vision._


	10. Eldin

CATEGORY CHANGE! This chapter's kinda short. Sorry.

**Darker Than Twilight**

**By FlikFreak**

Summary: Twilight Crossover. Spoilers. Sora's latest adventure takes him to the twilight-covered land of Hyrule, now infested by heartless. The keyhole could be anywhere, and even with help from the Hero of Light, Sora's newest adversary is unlike any he's ever fought.

**Chapter Ten: Eldin**

* * *

"_Would you like to remind me why I had to jump off of a freakin' bridge?"_

"_Because that _thing_ was chasing us. What was it called again? A Fartless?"_

"_Heartless."_

"_Whichever. So, these things are trying to destroy the world, you say?"_

"_Yeah. I know someone who's here to stop them, but I think he's cleaning up the mess in Eldin right now. Once he's done there, he'll probably come here looking for the only thing that'll end this mess."_

"_Aren't you looking for it, too?"_

"_No. Sora's the only one that can end this for good. That's why we need to find him."_

"_You sure know him pretty well."_

"_I sure do."_

"_Okay, look. The light spirit is near here somewhere, but we can't talk to him right now because he's in super bad shape. I think the Zoras might know something."_

"_But aren't they spirits now?"_

"…_there's that too, eh? Well, I wouldn't worry about it. You can still hear what they're saying if you listen close enough."_

"_There's that too."_

"_So let's get going!"_

"_Do I have to SWIM with you on my back, too?"_

"_Yup."_

"_Ugh…this is going to be a while…"_

* * *

The perpetual twilight had lifted, and as usual it took Link a few eye-blinks to get used to it. Even after clearing twilight three times before, it was still awkward to get the hang of the sudden change in scenery. One minute he was on Death Mountain, the next he was right back in Kakariko village, standing ankle-deep in the water of Eldin's spring. The moment things came into focus, Link expected to see Midna's shadowy form commenting in front of him, but he shook himself out of the idea: Midna was back in the twilight realm, safe and away from the chaos. He looked around anyway, and found Sora just starting to stand up. The boy had apparently not received the best of awakenings, but he didn't seem bothered. Even his hair didn't sag.

Link still felt the need to ask, however. "You okay, Sora?"

The boy nodded, finally on his feet. "Yeah. I think so." He did a double take as he rubbed his head, looking over Link, and then himself. "And I'm on two legs now instead of four…what happened back there?"

"The Eldin providence is free from the twilight," Link replied. "So we're back to normal."

Sora shook his head. "No, I mean that light…"

_Oh, that…how to put this?_ Link took a breath. "I've never gone near a light spirit's light," he explained. "Not as close as you did, anyway. I wasn't sure what would happen. Normally when I cleaned up, I carried a vessel that stored it, so when I did touch it, I only came in contact with a little at a time, not all of it at once. I wasn't sure what would happen."

An unsettling quiet fell over Sora and he looked away. "I feel fine, though. Are you sure that-"

"Link!"

Link spun around to see the familiar face of Luda rushing at him. The girl paused, catching her breath and brushing a strand of blackened hair out of her face. Making his way to her, Link knelt down to eye view. "Luda. Is everything alright?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, thanks to you. The nightmare had returned; we were afraid that those beasts would appear again."

"Heartless," Sora hissed, clenching his fists.

Luda glanced up. "Oh…who is this, Link?"

"This is Sora," Link explained. "He's…helping me get rid of the monsters."

Sora's he waved in the girl's direction, a cheerful expression quickly replacing his anger. "Hey there!"

Luda bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you, Sora."

During the exchange, another visitor arrived on the scene: one with similar lengthy black hair and a long robe depicting the familiar crest of the Triforce and eagle. His face was stern as usual as he approached. "Luda, you should not be out here in…" he paused when he looked up. "…Link?"

"Hello, Renado," Link greeted wearily. "I take it the village has seen better days than today…"

Renado nodded. "Much better days," he replied. "I would welcome you more formally, but I'm afraid that those beasts may return. We should head inside before…" His voice trailed off when he noticed Sora, whom backed away uneasily. "Who are you?"

Sora swallowed nervously, obviously taken aback by the gesture. "I'm Sora, sir," he said uneasily. "I'm, uh, helping Link…"

"I see," the shaman observed. "Well, come in, both of you. I believe there is explaining to do on both our accounts."

* * *

"_Well, whadoya know. Their leader's gone AWOL."_

"_Is that good or bad?"_

"_Probably good. Judging by what the others are talking about, he probably made it out before the twilight hit."_

"_So what now?"_

"_Leaving the twilight here is probably our best bet until your little friend comes along. Those chartless-"_

"_Heartless."_

"_-can't hurt people while they're spirits. The light's going to have to return sooner or later, so we should at least make sure the situation here doesn't get worse."_

"_Easier said than done. If there's nothing we can do here, can't we at least go and see how the world outside is?"_

"_Ugh, fine, yes. But I warn you, you won't be able to appear as a human there. Only a light spirit will be able to change that."_

"_That's fine. I can run faster this way, and you can always bring me back here."_

"_Alright, alright. Brace yourself."_

* * *

"Prince Ralis arrived recently," Renado began. "Judging by that, the monsters have also invaded the Lanaryu providence. Right now, Ralis is sleeping in the old hotel. Barnes is keeping an eye on him; he is exhausted from his journey."

Link stared at the floor, fists clenched. Sora bit his lip and looked away. So many people were getting hurt because of the heartless. If he didn't do something soon…

"Sora."

The brunette glanced up. "Y-Yes, sir?"

Renado had an odd expression of knowing on his face as he spoke. "You still haven't told me who you are."

_What the…_ "But I already gave you my name," he replied, dumbfounded.

"There is more to a person than just their name," Luda explained. "You said you are helping Link fight off those monsters, correct? But I see no weapon in your hands, and you don't look to have the strength to fight like the Goron do."

Link quirked an eyebrow. "Do you want to show them, Sora?"

Sora sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt," he replied, holding his hand out and summoning the keyblade in a soft flash of light. He curled his hands around the hilt tightly and observed as Renado and Luda's eyes widened.

"So the legends _are_ true," Renado commented, surprising Sora, "But for it to rest in the hands of a mere boy…"

"I was the same," Link pointed out. "Sora has been fighting these creatures for longer than I have. I doubted him at first, too, but he has more than proven himself."

Renado quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Sora. "I should have guessed," he said. "What do you plan on doing now, Link?"

Link's face fell. "The twilight remains in Lanaryu. That's where I'll be headed to next."

"You should at least pray to the light spirit before you leave," Luda suggested. "For a safe journey."

Nodding, Link turned away. "We will," he replied. "Don't worry; we'll be back soon."

They began to exit when Sora felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he noticed that Luda had stopped him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"If you see Prince Ralis," Luda said, "Could you bring him this?" She held out her hand, in it resting a small seashell of sorts. It vaguely resembled a crescent moon, and a beautiful, metallic blue sheen covered it. Its surface was smoother than a pearl.

Sora gazed at it in wonder. "What is it?"

"A charm," Luda replied vaguely. "Ralis will know what it means."

_I hate it when people do this to me, _Sora thought, but he nodded anyway, tucking the charm into his pocket and exiting with one last farewell. Once outside, he began walking to the spring when Link stopped him. "Huh?"

"Someone else is here," Link said. "Look."

In the spring was a large, silver panther, just beginning to push itself upright. It shook the water off of its fur and looked around…almost in a human-like fashion. Sora quietly stepped forward in hopes of getting a better look. _A panther…but panthers aren't silver._

The feline must have noticed him. Its ears flicked in his direction and he stiffened for all of two seconds before taking off down the road past Renado's home. Completely forgetting his original intent to visit the spring, Sora ran after the panther. "Wait!"

"Sora, stop!" Link cried as he took off after him. Sora ignored him, continuing to run. He followed what little he could still see of the beast behind the house and underneath an old, wooden archway that was crumbling down. Once past the small path, Sora screeched to a stop.

He was in a graveyard, many of the tombstones old and either crumbling or leaning sideways, some being overgrown by grass and weeds. Two trees stood at the end of the area, with a large stone set in the center of them. Nearby was what looked like a basement entry, but it was covered with a large sheet of tin that had been hastily nailed down.

The panther, however, was gone.


End file.
